Dragons of Mobius: Awakening
by DragonKnight159
Summary: Arc 1. Sonic and Company encounter a new threat that changes the course of the war with Robotnik. Seeing an evil far worse than Robotnik he chooses to walk a path that will change him for the rest of his life. Now more than ever they must stand together against the evils of the world.
1. The Awakening

**A/N: Okay, I promise this is the last time I do a massive update! To this arc I've only done some tweaks here and there, improved dialogue, corrected typos (again) so it doesn't actually require you to reread it to catch everything. If it's your first time reading then enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Copyright notice: All original Sonic the Hedgehog characters are property of SEGA and based upon the Saturday AM cartoon. Other characters may come from the video games or the Archie comic books. The AI SWATbots are the original creation of Robert Brown and Francis Tolbert and are used with their permission. All concepts from the manga BLEACH are copyright Tite Kubo. All concepts from Rurouni Kenshin are copyright Nobuhiro Watsuki. All original characters are of my creation and require written permission before use. These fanfics may not be reposted without my permission.<strong>_

* * *

><p>Throughout Robotropolis alarms sound, punctuated by a sonic boom. Sonic Hedgehog sped through the city at breakneck speed doing his best at dodging incoming SWATbots. He was in no mood to be caught as he pulled a second power ring from his pack, powered up and took off. He finally managed to take shelter in an old warehouse from before the coup.<p>

He furrowed his brow and muttered a light curse between breaths. It felt like Robotnik had been expecting him. While tormenting the fat man gave him great joy it bothered him now. He hadn't told any of the Freedom Fighters of his intentions to head to the city so if he was hurt or captured he was on his own. He knew that Sally would let him have it if and when he returned, a thought that made capture seem preferable for a brief moment.

_Maybe I should've brought help,_ he thought helplessly kneeling. _Ol' Buttnik's got every square inch of this place covered. It's like he was herding me here._

As the revelation hit he heard an almost inaudible click. On instinct he bolted out of the warehouse. Not a moment later the building erupted into a firestorm. The blast caught him, sending him sprawling across the old road.

"Way too close for comfort," he muttered brushing himself off. "I guess that's what I get for ignoring Sal's warnings."

The alarms shut off, signaling what he was hoping was an all-clear. He knew in a matter of minutes the area would be crawling with SWATbots. He ran off at a slower speed so as not to attract too much attention. Sally had warned him that Robotnik was experimenting with artificial intelligence. Between herding him and the warehouse explosion Sonic was willing to believe her.

_No bots following me,_ he thought glancing around. _Time to head to Uncle Chuck's_. With that he took off at top speed, weaving his way around the city to throw off Robotnik's spy cams just in case.

Uncle Chuck paced around his base much like a certain nephew of his would. Sonic had been late before but not this late. The explosion he had heard had him worried sick. Robotnik had gotten much more serious about his attempts to destroy the Freedom Fighters after the destruction of the Doomsday Project. The old hedgehog couldn't help but wonder if Robotnik would start winning against the Freedom Fighters now.

A series of knocks on his door brought him out of his thoughts. He waited for the whole knock, confirming it was a Freedom Fighter. After that he quickly scanned the area with the periscope and swung the door open letting in a winded Sonic..

"Sonic, what's wrong?" Uncle Chuck asked. He had never seen his nephew this shaken up.

"Robuttnik's been toying with me all day long," he answered angrily. "Took me forever to shake the SWATbots so they don't find you here."

His uncle sighed. "I was afraid something like this was going to happen," he said. "You may have guessed it but Robotnik has been developing some new technologies. I just got my hands on these." He reached into his desk and pulled out a small disk. "On this are the schematics for two things: designs for the brand new AI's for his new SWATbots, and a new project he's working on using sound waves. I haven't been able to identify what it actually does yet but the disk has all of my and Snively's notes on it."

"Snively?" Sonic said putting the disk in his bag. "Mondo weird. Any idea why he's behind this one?"

Uncle Chuck shook his head. "No idea," he admitted. "It's not often but Snively has moments that eclipse his uncle's genius and they've been coming more often. At this rate I'm having trouble believing we can win."

"Don't say that unc," Sonic said. "We'll win, one way or the other. There's no way those two are gonna beat us, I promise that."

His uncle smiled. "Thanks nephew, that's what I needed to hear."

Sonic checked his watch and muttered another curse. "I gotta run, unc," he said. "Sally will have figured out I left without telling her or getting backup and she'll let me have it."

"Be careful out there, sonny," Uncle Chuck said hugging his nephew. "Sally would never forgive me if you got caught while coming here."

"Will do unc," Sonic said.

He checked the periscope for SWATbots and when the coast was clear went out the hidden door. He sped around Robotropolis to put distance between him and his uncle. When he was sure he had eliminated any suspicion he sped off into the forest.

Robotnik sat in his control room calmly watching Sonic leave the city. Snively stood over a command console coordinating the efforts of the new SWATbots. "It seems that the new programming in the SWATbots works quite well," Robotnik mused as a smile crept to his face. "Even if the hedgehog realized the trap before it went off it was enough to test our new forces."

"Shall I give the order to install the programming on all the SWATbots?" Snively asked.

Robotnik thought for a moment. "No," he said. "If we do I suspect the princess will develop a strategy against them. It is better to keep those miserable rodents on their toes. Make sure the new deployment gives them equal distribution among the platoons." He tapped a few buttons and a complicated schematic came on-screen. "I must admit Snively," he admitted, "this must be one of the the most devious weapons I have ever seen. When can you have it installed?"

"By the end of the week sir," Snively replied. "We're still testing the prototype but afterwards we should be able to install it into every SWATbot."

"Excellent," Robotnik said laughing evilly. "Do we have suitable subjects?"

"Of course, sir," Snively said with a smile. "A nearby outpost one of our recon teams recently discovered. We should have the results within the next few hours."

"I want no slip-ups, Snively," Robotnik said swiveling his chair away. "Let the Freedom Fighters feel my wrath in their homes!"


	2. A New Threat

Sally tapped her foot checking her watch. She was more than annoyed that Sonic hadn't said a word about a visit to his uncle but worry was beginning to replace it. The sensors had identified Sonic but had shorted out not long after. A cold metal hand on her shoulder caused her to jump.

"Don't worry sugah," Bunnie said, "it's just 'lil old me. No need to worry about sugarhog. You know there's no way he'd let ol' Robotnik catch him."

Sally smiled. "Thanks Bunnie," she said. "I know that he'll be fine, but that doesn't mean I won't worry."

She wouldn't tell anyone how much she actually missed Sonic. They had a job to do; she couldn't afford to get involved with anyone. But Sonic had always been different. No matter how she was feeling Sonic always knew what to say to cheer her up. There had been a few awkward moments when they had stopped talking and just looked into each other's eyes. The one time they had almost kissed but stopped short when someone had knocked on her door. Sonic had left after that but she had been distracted the rest of the day. She had never really known but it would seem at times that Sonic would distance himself from her. She had never given him reason to, at least that she knew.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw a blue ball sail from the chute into a pile of hay. She and Bunnie ran over to Sonic expecting him to jump out and say something smart. When nothing happened they looked at each other worriedly.

"Sonic?" Sally asked quietly. "You in there?"

"Sugarhog?" Bunnie tried. "This ain't funny."

Sally was about to yell at Sonic to come out when she saw blood dripping from the hay.

"By the Maker, Sonic!" she yelled digging through the pile. She found him badly beaten with cuts and burns across his skin. He was unconscious or at least that's what Sally hoped. She and Bunnie grabbed him carefully and carried him off to the medical hut. Sally knocked on the door and a middle-aged light brown lynx with dark brown eyes answered the door. Before he could greet them he saw Sonic's battered and bloody form.

"The Maker have mercy! What happened to him?" Dr. Adrian Osaka asked helping them put him on a medical table.

"We don't know," Sally said, her voice brimming with worry. "He came out of the chute like this."

"I'll get started patching him up right away," Dr. Osaka said. "I should be done in a couple hours."

"Sally-girl, stay with him," Bunnie said. "Ah'll clean up and handle any crowd control." Sally barely acknowledged Bunnie's offer but the cyborg headed for the door regardless.

Sally sat down, not even acknowledging the blood on her. Dr. Osaka was busy cleaning Sonic's wounds and working at an incredible pace. Sally was lost in thought the whole time. The lynx was watching her as he worked. He had known Sally long enough that he could tell just by looking at her that she blamed herself. She seemed to be doing more of that lately ever since they had heard Robotnik had survived the attack with the Deep Power Stones.

His fur was getting matted down with sweat from working on Sonic so hard. Sonic had been through hell and back but Dr. Osaka couldn't tell what had actually happened to him. Some of the wounds such as the bruising and burns could be attributed to SWATbots but the cuts were a mystery to him. And the burns were far too light for blaster fire and with the sheer number of burns he had would have killed him. Upon closer inspection they looked like burn wounds from a light fire. He had a suspicion but was unwilling to believe it. He looked back at Sally who hadn't moved an inch.

"It is not your fault, Princess," he said quietly. "You had no way of knowing something like this would happen. Sonic left on his own without informing anyone of his intentions. What has happened here is the result of recklessness that we've been warning him about. You cannot be held responsible for that."

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked barely holding back tears. "Sonic could have died today and we wouldn't have been able to do anything. I should have followed him myself."

"And he would've shaken you before you even got halfway to the city," Dr. Osaka interrupted. "You and I know Sonic well enough to know that he prefers to work alone. That way if anything happens he won't get anyone else hurt."

"But if he gets captured or killed we'll lose this war," Sally said. "He can think his working alone affects only him but it doesn't. If I...If we were to lose him I don't know how long we'd last against Robotnik."

Dr. Osaka was quiet. He had caught the Princess's slip but chose to say nothing. He'd had his suspicions about her feelings up to now but she had said nothing. Dr. Osaka remembered a time when the two of them had been more open with their feelings but now it seemed that they were both running from each other.

He backed away from Sonic and looked at his handiwork. All of the cuts had been sewn shut and cleaned, the burn wounds salved and bandaged but he had still not regained consciousness. "I have done all I can, Princess," he said sighing. "What he needs now is rest. I will move him to the back room so that he has his privacy. It may be a good idea to stay with him a little longer. If he awakens he may panic and reopen his wounds. He was close to death as it was but if he reopens them I cannot guarantee he'll survive this time."

"Thank you Doctor," Sally said sniffling. "I'd stay but I need to still keep up normal appearances."

"Nonsense," Dr. Osaka said washing his hands. "You need to stay with Sonic at least until he regains consciousness. His absence will not go unnoticed, however."

"He's on a reconnaissance mission," she said simply. "It's not the full truth but I'm willing to believe that whatever Sonic risked his life for was more than worth the risk."

"Very well," Dr. Osaka said and carefully moved Sonic onto a stretcher. He wheeled him into the back room still looking over him. _What on Mobius happened to you Sonic?_ he thought.


	3. Recovery

As Dr. Osaka worked on cleaning up his table Sally sat in the back room with her face buried in her hands. The lynx sighed, knowing that regardless of her feelings she would never tell Sonic if he didn't know already. It would take more than a little convincing at this point to get her to leave. He heard his door open and shut quietly but he continued to work.

"How's sugarhog doin', doc?" Bunnie asked quietly. "Is he gonna be ok?"

"Sonic should be fine within a few days," Dr. Osaka assured her. "His condition was critical. While I'm not sure what happened to him I will say that he must have put up an incredible fight to end up in that condition."

"How 'bout Sally-girl?"

Dr. Osaka stopped. Bunnie had every right to know about the Princess's feelings as her closest friend and confidante, but it was not his place. "She'll be fine," he said, hoping Bunnie wouldn't look too much into it. "Right now I think she's just worried and relieved. The thought of losing Sonic and the war has taken quite a toll on her."

"I see," Bunnie replied quietly. "What's the official story for sugarhog bein' gone so long then?"

"Recon," Dr. Osaka said. "I'm not sure where, but say that Sir Charles had something for him to check out. We can work out the details with the Princess later."

Bunnie nodded. "Sounds good," she said smiling. "The fact that Sonic is gonna be a-okay is the best news Ah've heard all day. Ah'll be sure to intercept anyone's questions if they ask."

"Wait," Dr. Osaka said as Bunnie began to leave. "If they ask about the Princess tell them she is assisting me with some work. That will explain her being here."

Bunnie nodded and headed out the door. Dr. Osaka looked back at Sally and Sonic when he heard a gasp. Sonic's eyes were opening slightly with the return of consciousness and Sally sprung up.

"Sonic!" she exclaimed hugging him. "You're awake!"

"Glad to...see you too, Sal," Sonic said weakly. "Do you mind letting up a little? That really hurts."

Sally let go of him tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought...the worst had happened..."

Neither of them said anything and Dr. Osaka continued putting his things away. He would give them their alone time. The Maker knew they needed it. When he finished putting everything away he turned to the room they were in. Sally was whispering something Dr. Osaka couldn't hear from where he was but Sonic's face had never been more serious.

"I'm surprised you're awake so soon, Sonic," Dr. Osaka said once Sally had finished. "With those injuries I had expected you out for a few days."

Sonic chuckled and winced. "You know me doc," he said smiling. "Nothing can keep this hedgehog down."

"Try moving from that bed and we'll test that theory," Dr. Osaka said smiling back. "I'll pump you with enough anesthetic to last a week."

He and Sonic laughed quietly. Sally looked as if she was about to start sobbing again when she turned on Sonic, thoroughly furious.

"You think that nearly dying is funny?" she asked almost screaming. "What if you had been killed? What would we do then? We can't beat Robotnik without you and you damn well know it! Why do you always rush off without thinking things through? If you had waited we could've put a team together and then Robotnik would have never-"

"Robotnik had nothing to do with this." That statement got both Sally's and Dr. Osaka's attention.

"If not Robotnik, who?" Dr. Osaka asked. "Who else was able to cause those wounds to you?"

"You noticed it didn't you, doc?" Sonic asked looking at him. "Those burn wounds weren't from a laser. The only real damage was on the surface, as if someone tried to light me on fire."

Sally looked at Dr. Osaka. What was Sonic saying? Who else but Robotnik wanted him dead?

Dr. Osaka sighed. "You've got me there," he admitted finally. "Had they been blaster wounds you would be dead right now. But that still doesn't explain how you got them. That is, unless you're talking about..."

Sonic said something that Sally didn't make out but caused Dr. Osaka's eyes to widen in fear. She had never seen him so terrified in all the time she had known him.

"Please tell me that you're lying," Dr. Osaka demanded. "What you said cannot be true. He died during the coup!"

"Well apparently not, judging by my current state," Sonic retorted.

"Who exactly are we talking about?" Sally interjected.

"The man who attacked me," Sonic said.

"I figured that much out," Sally said glaring at him. "What's his name?" Sonic paused. It was unlikely either Sally or Nicole knew that name but figured she deserved to know regardless. He took a deep breath.

"His name, or what he told me, is simply Soul," Sonic answered quietly. "Honestly it sounds more like a code name to me but it's all that he would say."

"Why did he attack you?" Sally asked.

Sonic shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I was by the chute when he attacked and nearly killed me. I'll tell you guys this, if you see a tall human wearing a cloak and hood with a huge claymore on his back start running as fast as you can."

Dr. Osaka sighed letting out a shudder. "You should count yourself lucky that you got back here before he killed you Sonic," he said. "He is not someone you can fight alone."

"I'll agree to the last part," Sonic said nodding. "But the thing is the last thing I remember is being underfoot with the tip of his sword at my throat. I blacked out after that and woke up here."

"Wait, you mean that you didn't get into the chute of your own power?" Sally asked. "That would mean-"

"He let you go," Dr. Osaka finished. "To him it was a game. The fact that you survived is proof to him that you're strong." He sighed. None of this was good.

"Dr. Osaka, how do you know all this?" Sally asked.

"This 'Soul' was a young human I took under my wing many years ago," Dr. Osaka admitted. "I taught him how to fight and even how to wage war. I did my best to keep his training a secret from Julian. Truthfully it was more Soul's request than my own. He said he 'didn't want to be used as a weapon'. I'd been training him about two years when Julian made his move.

"When Soul learned that I had known of Julian's plan he lost it." He ran his hand across the scar on his chest. It ran down the right side of his chest, nearly the length of his arm. "He's the one that gave me this. Despite the state he left me in I tried to help. The only thing I really managed was to get myself hurt even more." He shook his head slowly. "I heard later after I escaped to Knothole that Robotnik hadn't even bothered roboticizing him. He chose instead to send almost a dozen platoons of SWATbots after him. Soul was strong, but not that strong."

"That's awful," Sally said bringing her hand to her mouth. "You must have been devastated."

Dr. Osaka chuckled. "Oddly enough I was relieved," he said. "Robotnik would never lay his hands on the power that boy held. I was also glad to hear that he died fighting to the end, just like he had wanted to."

Sally closed her eyes, absorbing this new information. "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" she asked finally looking at him. "If there was even the chance that he had survived we could have recruited him or at least have stopped something like this from happening." Dr. Osaka chuckled and crossed his arms.

"I highly doubt that, Princess," he said smirking. "You two have only been sparring with me over the last few months. I had years to teach Soul what he wanted and that's when I was in the prime of youth. And I honestly thought that he was dead. They only reason Robotnik is still alive is because Soul was vastly outnumbered that day. Though if Soul really is the one who did this I pray his mentality on Robotnik hasn't changed or we are all done for." He looked to the clock on the wall, just realizing how late it was. "Princess, I would suggest making your normal rounds through the village," he said. "Even if you are 'working' with me everyone needs a break from time to time."

Sally stood still for a while looking over Sonic. She still seemed reluctant to leave his side. Dr. Osaka had been right about her feelings. Now if only Sonic knew...

"I'll be fine," Sonic encouraged her. "While I don't know all of what's going on it's best not to make the rest of the village worry."

Sally sighed and nodded. "Okay," she gave in. "I'll be back later to check up on you. Got it?"

Sonic nodded smiling. Sally dried her eyes and left faking a yawn and stretching. Sonic watched painfully as she left. He hated doing this to her. He kept trying to convince himself that they would be better as friends but after what she had told him he doubted they could keep that up. The truth was he did love her but knew that she had a duty to the people first. Still, a 'hog can dream right?


	4. Distress

"How much of what you said is true?" Dr. Osaka asked interrupting his thoughts.

"All of it," Sonic said. "This wouldn't have been a good time to lie to her. She has this weird ability when she's sad and angry to read right through them."

"Then you should know something," Dr. Osaka offered. "That name is nothing but a childhood fantasy to him. His real name is Daryl and he is a far more dangerous opponent than Robotnik could ever hope to be."

"I can believe that," Sonic said with a pained groan. "But why would Robotnik have used all the force against him? Couldn't you have teamed up with him to stop the coup?"

"Deep down Daryl wanted to try and save his father whereas I would rather have killed him," Dr. Osaka said quietly, his own eyes growing hollow and haunted. It took Sonic a few moments to comprehend what the doctor meant. He stared at the lynx in disbelief once he understood what had been said. "Now, you need to get your sleep. And do not mention this to Sally. It will only cause her more worrying, something she does not need right now."

"Got it. Not a word," Sonic promised yawning. "If you don't mind I'm gonna-" With a jolt Sonic remembered the plans that Uncle Chuck had given him. "Doc, you gotta get Sally for me!" he said. "I have some mondo important stuff for her." Dr. Osaka nodded and walked outside. In a couple minutes he returned with Sally in tow. She had a slightly confused look on her face. "In my bag is a computer disk Uncle Chuck gave me," he told her.

She fished around in the bag and threw out an old chili dog before finding said disk. "What's on this?" she asked him.

"They're the latest specs Uncle Chuck got from Buttnik," he answered. "He mentioned the plans for the AI program the new SWATbots are using as well as something to do with sound waves. Apparently Snively is taking charge of this new toy."

A look of relief spread across Sally's face. "Thank you so much, Sonic!" she exclaimed kissing him on the cheek. "I'll get Nicole working on these right away."

Sonic smiled glad that his part was done now. "No prob," he said with a slight blush. "Now, I'm going to finish what I was doing before I remembered that disk."

He closed his eyes and was almost instantly asleep. Sally smiled and Dr. Osaka sighed. It was about time the boy was asleep. He would need as much as possible to recover quickly. So absorbed in thought was he that he didn't even notice Sally kiss Sonic's forehead and stroke his quills lightly. Sonic smiled a little and gave a deep sigh. Dr. Osaka was pulled from his thoughts when Sally latched onto his neck without warning.

"Thank you for everything," she said. "We would've lost him if it hadn't been for your quick work."

"Just doing my part," Dr. Osaka said. "That and I have a promise to keep to Sir Charles to watch after the little scamp."

Sally let go and went back outside to continue her rounds. Dr. Osaka sat down and picked up his book to continue reading. He frowned trying to find where he had been before all this had started. At least it had made his day more interesting. The news of Daryl's possible reappearance was disturbing but he would worry about that once Sonic regained his strength.

The next few days were relatively uneventful. Sally and Bunnie kept tabs on Sonic's recovery much to the hedgehog's chagrin. By the fourth day Sonic had been able to move around with relative ease but didn't want to try running quite yet. Sally kept him informed of the goings-on of the village and bringing him chili dogs every so often. Her excuse had been that Dr. Osaka had taken a liking to them but was a terrible cook. At the very least the last part was true. By the sixth day Sonic had removed the last of his bandages and stood in front of Dr. Osaka completely healed. Dr. Osaka gave him a clean bill of health and Sally and Bunnie both approved. That night Sonic quietly snuck off into the woods to "return" from his recon assignment. The entirety of the village welcomed him back enthusiastically glad their hero had returned safely. Sonic gave Sally his "report" which was simply old information that had been deemed unimportant before and was still now.

The next afternoon Sonic was sprawled out on the grass outside the power ring pool soaking in the sun's rays. It felt good to be outside rather than in a bed wrapped up like a mummy. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A bundle of fur landing on his stomach forced the breath out and Sonic sat up winded. The familiar sight of two tails told him who it was.

"Sonic!" Tails said hugging his idol. "When did you get back? I missed you."

Sonic laughed and hugged the little orange fox back. "Last night," he answered. "And I missed you too, bro." With that he mussed up Tails' hair. This caused him to jump away and fix it quickly.

"Sonic! You know I hate it when you do that!" Sonic and Tails both laughed and Tails lied down next to him. "So what was your mission like?" he asked curiously.

"Eh, boring as usual," Sonic replied with a shrug. "Trust me, when you're old enough to go on missions you'll learn that recon jobs outside of Robotropolis are really boring."

"I wish I could do even that," Tails said moping. "Aunt Sally won't let me do anything."

"It's cuz she's worried about you kid," Sonic replied. "It's not that we're worried about you getting hurt. In fact, you're more prepared than the rest of us to escape a dangerous situation. Sal just wants to make sure that you have the proper training and experience before you take anything like that on."

Tails didn't say anything. He knew Sonic was right but he still didn't like it. It was right at that moment Bunnie stood over the two of them and shook her head.

"Why did Ah know I'd find you two here?" she asked. "Y'all know that Antoine is looking for you sugarhog. Something about a quick run to Cherrywood to answer a distress call."

Sonic rolled back and sprung to his feet. He stretched out and turned to face Bunnie.

"Alright, alright," he said shaking his head as Tails got up. "I'll go find him and we'll head out. Knowing those jerks it's probably some stupid prank again."

"Can I come Sonic?" Tails begged looking up at him.

Sonic sighed and looked at Bunnie who just shrugged. "It's Sally-girl's call," she said simply.

"You heard her bro," Sonic said smiling. "Let's juice it loose!" He revved up and took up with Tails following close behind.

Bunnie shook her head, trying to remember a time when the two of them weren't like brothers. Sonic and Tails sped off towards Sally's hut, stopping by to pick up Antoine who was trying to figure out what had just happened. A couple knocks later Sally answered the door with the three of them standing in front.

"Please?" Tails begged her before anything else was said. Sonic just started chuckling while Antoine and Sally both had on confused expressions. Sally caught on first as to what Tails wanted and shook her head.

"I'm sorry Tails but you can't go," she said sternly causing the fox to pout. "If it was anything but a distress call-"

"And what makes you think this on will be any different than the last dozen we got from them?" Sonic pointed out coming to Tails' defense. "Besides, if it _is_ a SWATbutt attack we'll need all the help we can get. With Ant and I there he'll be fine."

Sally closed her eyes and sighed. While Sonic was right it wasn't Tails she was so worried about. Sonic had just recovered and was heading out again. Even with Dr. Osaka's word she had wanted Sonic to stay in Knothole for a little while so he could regain all his strength. On the other hand he wasn't alone this time. Add to it that pretty much everyone knew that she wanted Tails to start gaining some field experience. She knew between Sonic and Tails she would never win this fight.

"Alright," she said finally, "he can go with you two. But there had better not be a scratch on him when you get back or I'll do to you what the SWATbots would have."

"Do not be worrying, Prinzess," Antoine said saluting. "We shall do our bests to ensure ze young Tails' safe peeping."

"Keeping Ant. Safe_keeping_," Sonic said holding his temples as Sally and Tails blushed slightly. He then proceeded to throw Antoine over his shoulder, much to the other's protest, and sped off to the west with Tails taking to the sky. Sally watched them leave unable to make the knot in her stomach go away. She closed her door and went over to her sink. She turned on the water and splashed water on her face. She looked in the mirror, worry written all over her face. She hoped everything would be okay.


	5. Into the Flames

It took only a few minutes to reach Cherrywood at Sonic's speed and Tails was right behind him. Sonic set Antoine down who began smoothing out his uniform with a string of French curses. When Tails asked about them Antoine simply told him, "When you are being older." While the two of them argued about that Sonic looked around. He'd been to Cherrywood before and it was never this quiet. It was the second largest Freedom Fighter base, just barely smaller than Knothole. And yet there was only the wind blowing through the trees and huts. Something was wrong.

"Sonic, why iz it being so quiet?" Antoine asked ignoring Tails' argument. "I am remembering a much busier Cherrywood."

"Agreed Ant," Sonic said nodding. "Something's up and I don't like it. I had expected water balloons or ketchup and mustard bombs like last time." They walked into the village square with only the wind to comfort them.

"Sonic, I don't like it here," Tails whimpered as he involuntarily shuddered.

"I feel you there big guy," Sonic said. "I've never seen the village this quiet. It's more like a ghost town."

Sonic waited for the inevitable yelp or chittering of Antoine but it never came. He turned and saw the coyote scanning the area. "If you are to be wondering," Antoine said without looking at Sonic, "I have been knowing I cannot be acting like a rooster all ze time. It is something zat Mademoiselle Bunnie has been helping with."

"That's chicken, Antoine," Tails said smiling. "But at least you were close. Does Bunnie's 'help' involve very large rocks being hurled at you in rapid succession?" Antoine nodded reluctantly much to Sonic's amusement.

When they thought they heard something rustle in the bushes Sonic held up his hand. Antoine and Tails stopped in their tracks and looked at each other. Sonic had only used hand signals rarely and when he did it meant that things were bad. Sonic muttered under his breath about how Sally had nagged him to learn the signs. Apparently speed wasn't a concern on stealth missions. When the rustling turned out to be the wind no other words passed through their lips. Sonic gave another sign to stop before they left the main hut area. Something was telling him to stop here but he didn't know what. He turned to Antoine and signaled for him to check out the hut on the other side of the street and for Tails to check the one next to it. Sonic took the hut they were right next to. The inexplicable knot in his stomach tightened. When he entered the hut his eyes widened in realization and disgust. He immediately ran outside feeling his lunch wanting to heave up. When the other two heard the commotion they ran to his side immediately.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"You are not looking too well," Antoine piped in. As soon as Sonic recovered he looked at them.

"Do not, under any circumstances look in that hut," he said simply, the image burned into his memory.

"What iz it?" Antoine asked, a trace of nervousness in his voice.

"I found out why the villagers aren't around," Sonic said standing up straight.

"But that's good right?" Tails said. "We can tell Aunt Sally they're all okay!"

"They're not okay. They're dead."

There was complete silence between the three of them. Certainly he couldn't be serious. There were over a hundred villagers; there was no way all of them were in one hut. But Sonic couldn't forget what he had seen. Ignoring Sonic's request Antoine opened the door to the hut. As soon as he saw the sight inside he had the same look as Sonic. Before Tails could look Antoine grabbed him and pulled him into his uniform. But Tails had seen what was inside and began screaming.

Every villager had the same expression on their faces. They looked as if they were still screaming and their skin had lost all color, turning the lips blue and shriveled. Their eyes were milky white with only the outline of the iris visible. Tears of blood were streamed down their faces and blood still dripped from their ears.

"What sick twisted bastard would do this?" Sonic growled. "This is too low, even for Robotnik."

"That's where you would be wrong," a deep voice said. "What you see here is the handiwork of a 'sick twisted bastard' and his SWATbots."

Antoine looked around for the source of the voice but Sonic did nothing. He knew that voice, the same voice that had left him for dead all just to test him. "You," he snarled. "What are you doing here?"

A tall figure jumped down into the village square wearing a long black cloak that covered his face as well. A massive claymore close to six feet long was slung across his back in a matching scabbard. He walked through the square which itself was littered with the swords of the village guards. "I'd been chasing after the SWATbots Robotnik sent here but I was too late," he said. "I had thought that Knothole might respond quicker since you were closer, but apparently I was wrong."

Tails was still in a state of shock, the image of the bodies still fresh in his mind. Antoine held him and made sure to close the door on the hut, shivering as he remembered what was in there.

"Like hell you were following them," Sonic snarled. "After what you did to me I'd bet that you just stood here and let it happen. Sound about right, Soul?"

"Again you would be wrong," Soul said lowering his hood. "I arrived just in time to destroy the SWATbots that did this. You may wish to take their weapons back with you to study them."

The face that looked at Sonic unnerved him to no end. His crimson eyes and bright blond hair with only a few streaks of orange in it threw him off the most. His jaw was chiseled as if from stone, an accurate depiction of the rest of his body. Visible from under his cloak were black leather gloves and matching boots. Sonic had seemingly ignored what he had just said and took a fighting stance. "I see you wish to test your luck against me once more," Daryl said smiling. He pulled a nearby longsword out of the ground and tossed it to the blue hedgehog. "Catch." Sonic caught the hilt easily enough. He would worry about the "why" of all this later. His mind was too preoccupied with payback. "Now that we are on equal ground," he said, pulling out his sword from its massive scabbard, "let the fun begin!"

"Antoine, get Tails back to Knothole!" Sonic barked at him. "I'll catch up with you as soon I'm done with him."

Antoine nodded but found himself unable to move, whether from fear or another source. He watched as Sonic and the one he called "Soul" dueled. The human had the clear advantage. His size was greater as was his grasp of sword technique. As far as Antoine remembered Sonic had never as much touched a sword. But the hedgehog was holding his own and quickly improving, even turning the tables briefly before going back on the defensive.

Daryl swung low going for Sonic's legs. The sword struck nothing but air. He looked up and saw Sonic diving at him fist coiled back. Sonic put all of his strength into that right cross and connected with Daryl's cheek. The sheer force of the blow threw him back into the fountain. He stood back up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It's been a long time since I've seen my own blood," he admitted smiling. "I can tell this is going to be the most fun I've had in a long time." He charged at Sonic again swinging wildly. Sonic dodged or blocked all of the attacks, each blow throwing him back a little. After a savage swing Sonic did an aerial back-flip to recover. When he landed Daryl was holding out his right hand and a ball of fire was forming. Sonic thought about dodging but then looked behind him:

Antoine and Tails were still there unable to move because of fear.

Sonic grit his teeth. If he dodged Antoine and Tails would be toast. If he didn't he was toast. Some choice...

"Globus Ignis (Fireball)!" Daryl yelled and a massive ball of flame shot out at Sonic. He drove his sword into the ground and knelt down on one knee holding the hilt with both hands. He felt the intense heat envelope him. Antoine watched in fear and awe as the flames wrapped around Sonic briefly before dispersing. The hedgehog looked no worse for wear aside from his steaming quills.

"Leave my friends out of this!" Sonic yelled at Daryl. "This fight is between you and me."

Antoine did a double take. He had said "friends" meaning...

"You consider moi a friend?" Antoine said in disbelief. "But I thought..."

"No matter what we've been through Ant," Sonic assured him, "I have _always_ thought of you as my friend. I know I don't act like it all the time but I really do. We all need to stick together if we wanna win."

Antoine smiled. Part of him now felt capable of running for the sake of Tails but he would not abandon Sonic. He watched as Sonic began to run circles around the human trying to turn him around. Daryl caught on and stuck his sword out to one side.

_Bingo_, Sonic thought smiling. He jumped twisting his body until it was parallel to the ground. His left foot landed on the flat of the blade and brought his right back for a kick. Daryl's eyes widened. He was fast but not as fast as Sonic and had no time to block the attack. Sonic let his kick loose and sent Daryl spiraling into a nearby hut, demolishing it. Sonic smiled admiring his work. He had been improvising but it was a nice effect. Daryl smirked and drove his sword into the ground and a bright light enveloped the village. In that instant everything froze.


	6. Another Way

Sonic held out his sword to block but nothing happened. He looked around and noticed nothing was moving. A sparrow was frozen in mid-flight, the plants were in the middle of swaying, even the dust rising from the wrecked hut stopped moving. Daryl stood up and rotated his neck around letting loose several loud cracks.

"Not bad at all," he admitted stepping from the wreckage. "I have to admit you are quite strong despite your small size."

"What did you do here and why can I still move?" Sonic asked. Something was off though. He felt no urge to fight, no anger towards his opponent.

"It would take too long to explain to the likes of you," Daryl said as he walked towards Sonic. "Suffice it to say that for the time being we can talk without being interrupted."

Now it was Sonic's turn to be surprised. Dr. Osaka had said this guy was unstable but this was going pretty far. He was prepared to accept most things in life but being able to pull something like this off was just too much. Daryl kicked a scabbard to him and Sonic caught it easily, sheathing the sword he'd been given.

"Then I'm to assume you want to call a truce," Sonic said slinging the sword under his pack.

"Hmm, yes and no," Daryl replied smiling. "I want to take you on as a student."

Sonic's eyes widened. A student? Now nothing was making sense. "Why me?" Sonic asked. "What makes me so different from anyone else?"

"Your anger was pure once realizing the fate of the villagers," Daryl answered. "You also were willing to sacrifice your life for your friends. I can teach you how to obtain the power to destroy Julian once and for all."

Sonic stared at the ground. Him, having the power to oust Robotnik and free Mobius of his reign of terror? It was a tempting thought, but it seemed too easy.

Daryl could see the inner battle Sonic was waging. "The training will be long," he informed him. "You will not be able to help your friends directly in that time. But I do promise in under a year you will have the power to free your people." Sonic still stood in front of him unsure. "I can see the unlimited potential in you, Sonic Hedgehog. If you were to harness even a fraction of that power you could wipe Robotnik, no, ALL of Robotropolis off the face of Mobius forever!"

"What you're asking me to do..." Sonic began as his mind raced. "Give me one reason to trust you!"

"I could have easily killed you before," Daryl explained. "Why else would I leave you alive? Because I can see that you, and you alone, are the hope that Mobius needs."

"I need time to think about it," Sonic said after a moment. Daryl nodded, pulling his sword out of the ground.

"I will return here tomorrow night," he said. "If you are not here by midnight I will assume that you have no intention of taking my assistance."

With that Daryl vanished leaving no trace of his existence behind and the flow of time returned to normal. Antoine blinked. Surely something must have happened. The human could not have vanished into thin air. Tails had come out of his shock and let go of him.

"Sonic, what happened?" he asked almost as if reading Antoine's mind. "Where'd that guy go and how'd he disappear like that?"

Sonic was quiet. What was he supposed to say? His heart wanted to tell them everything but his mind still had not grasped it. "I don't know bro," he said quietly. "Regardless, let's get back to Knothole and let Sally know what happened."

He started to turn around when he saw the pile of scrapped SWATbots. He went over and picked up one of their arm cannons. It didn't look any different than normal but he would let Rotor figure that out. He put the arm in his pack and turned to face the others. Tails had already taken off with Antoine. This gave Sonic time to think and he quietly thanked Antoine. After a few minutes he revved his legs and ran back towards Knothole.

After delivering his report and watching Sally almost break down he went to Rotor's workshop to deliver the arm he had taken. Rotor looked over the casing carefully. "Well, it looks like a regular laser cannon," he said. "I'll get to work on it and see what I can figure out."

"Thanks Rote," Sonic said relieved. At least one thing had gone right. "See if you can get Uncle Chuck to help you. He's the one who found out about this new weapon and maybe he can help figure out a way to counter it."

Rotor nodded and went over to the comm panel. Sonic left his hut and sighed. There was only one thing left to do. He went over to Sally's hut and knocked. "Come in," he heard a voice followed by sniffling.

Sonic opened the door and there was Sally trying to act as if she hadn't been crying. He couldn't blame her, they all had had friends in Cherrywood and they were a valuable asset against Robotnik. It was another reason to take Daryl up on his offer...

Sonic wrapped his arms around Sally taking her by surprise. She finally broke down and cried into his shoulder. "Why did this have to happen?" she sobbed. "If I had just taken the call seriously-"

"Any of us would've done the same thing," Sonic said squeezing her. "They were notorious for pranks and we assumed that's what it was again. We had no way of knowing from the distress call what exactly was going on." Sally continued crying for a few minutes. She finally let up and sighed. She knew Sonic was right but that didn't make it easier. Sonic let go of her and looked into her eyes. "The only thing we can do for them now is give them a proper burial," he said. "It's only right since they died as Freedom Fighters."

Sally nodded in agreement. "You're right," she said. "We should get started as soon as possible."

Sonic smiled. This was the Sally he remembered. He hugged her again and left to get a team assembled. Sally wiped her eyes and looked in the mirror. There was something else Sonic wasn't telling her but this was no time to worry about it. She slid Nicole into her boot and straightened herself out. She at least needed to seem strong in front of the village. It was getting harder every day and to be honest she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the façade.

Almost a half hour later Sonic, Sally, Tails, Antoine, Bunnie, Dr. Osaka and over 30 villagers arrived at Cherrywood. The villagers took to digging graves alongside others off to the north end of the village. Sonic, Antoine and Dr. Osaka went to the building where the villagers had been left. Tails stayed outside and helped the other villagers however he could. After what he had seen last time...

Dr. Osaka closed his eyes and sighed. He looked over one of the bodies carefully trying not to look at the face. He stood up and took his gloves off. "From the look of it," he said, "the weapon seems to cause the main blood vessels in the body to rupture, causing massive hemorrhaging, stroke and heart attack all at the same time. It also seems to bypass the surface capillaries, though I'm not sure how. What I do know is that these animals died slowly and painfully."

"Robotnik has gone too far this time," Sonic said. "I wouldn't even call this murder. This is a massacre."

Dr. Osaka opened his bag and began taking out body bags. "I'm sure the other villagers would appreciate not having to see this sight. Let's get started," he said.

It took them the rest of the day and well into the night to finish burying the dead. They stood over the freshly dug graves most of the villagers crying. Sonic held Sally, knowing what it looked like but not caring. Through her crying and that of the villagers he could only think about one thing.

_Daryl, are you telling me I could've prevented this?_ he thought._ I never want to see this happen again. I won't let Sally cry over something I could've stopped!_ Finally knowing what he had to do Sonic pulled Sally closer. Dr. Osaka looked over at Sonic seeing the resolve in his eyes. He could tell what he was thinking. He thought briefly about trying to convince him otherwise but knew it would be pointless.

_Like father like son_, he thought. _I may not be able to change his mind but I can give him something I should have a long time ago_.

In Robotropolis Snively looked over the report from the SWATbot unit that had raided Cherrywood. He didn't know how they had been destroyed so quickly, especially since the village hadn't been able to mount a working defense against the sound weapon. Regardless of that, the weapon worked perfectly in every manner.

"Well, Snively?" Robotnik asked from behind. "How was our little field test?"

"Flawless, sir," Snively said smiling. "The rebels were unable to mount a proper defense in time and the weapon didn't cause any structural damage to this village or rebels. Unfortunately the SWATbot unit was attacked outside the village. Whatever it was that attacked took them out without being seen."

Robotnik smoothed out his mustache. Things were going well, very well. Despite losing the unit they now had solid proof that the weapon worked. "Begin the final phase of testing, Snively," he ordered. "Those Freedom Fighters will have a very big surprise coming their way soon."


	7. Birthright

The next day had been set aside as a day of mourning in Knothole. Sonic nor Sally had come out of their huts all day, not even to eat. By the time lunch had come many had wondered what had happened to them. Dr. Osaka and Rosie made sure that the villagers were leaving them alone, knowing that those two were beating themselves up over what had happened. They agreed to talk to them and went to their respective huts. Before heading to Sonic's Dr. Osaka stopped by his hut. He removed the picture of all the Knothole Freedom Fighters from the wall and typed a passcode into the hidden panel. The wall panel moved to the side revealing a small alcove. He pulled out a long object wrapped in cloth and stared at it briefly.

"Old friend," he whispered to himself, "the time has finally come. Your son has chosen to follow in your footsteps."

Sally sat on the end of her bed trying to shake the feeling of guilt. This was her fault. The one time that she didn't take the Freedom Fighters at Cherrywood seriously just happened to be the time that they really needed their help. A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Rosie," said an aged voice. "We must talk, Princess." Sally walked to the door and let the elderly badger in. She sat back down on her bed and her nanny sat down next to her. "Dr. Osaka told me what happened," Rosie began. "It's not your fault Sally."

"But it is," Sally insisted shaking her head. "If I had taken the distress call seriously-"

"Then the village would've still been wiped out," Rosie said sternly. "From what the doctor told me their deaths were all within a ten-minute time frame. There was nothing you could've done. You would have had to know the attack was going to happen." She put her hand on Sally's. "If there is anyone to blame it is Robotnik for creating this weapon. The guards of Cherrywood are more than a match for regular or even the new SWATbots. Those brave animals would not want you to blame yourself for what happened. They would want you to take Robotnik down for them. Only then can their souls be at rest."

Sally was quiet. Her nanny was exactly right. This WAS Robotnik's fault, not hers. She kept blaming herself for everything and yet none of it was. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked over at Rosie. "Thank you Rosie," she said. "That helps, but I'm still pretty torn up about losing the village. I just need some time to cope with this."

Rosie smiled. "It's good to hear that Sally," she said. "Now, let's get you something to eat. I know you haven't left your hut all day and you need something in your stomach." Sally nodded and stood up with Rosie. The two of them went in the direction of the dining hut when they saw Dr. Osaka and a cloth-wrapped object in his hand. When Rosie saw what was in his hand her eyes widened and then closed as she smiled.

"It is time then?" she asked the doctor.

He nodded. "I should have given him this a long time ago," he said looking at his hand. "I pray that he will forgive me for waiting so long."

"He will," Rosie assured him. "Those two are peas in a pod. I'm sure he'll understand."

Dr. Osaka smiled and continued on his way. Sally and Rosie continued as well as Sally turned to her.

"What was that about?" she asked. "What was he carrying?"

"Nothing," Rosie answered, patting the princess' hand. "Adrian is just keeping a promise to an old friend."

Unlike Sally Sonic was busy getting his things ready. He had made up his mind and nothing could change it. Not that it made it easier, it simply solidified his thinking. No matter what Dr. Osaka said Daryl had still been right. If there was even the remote chance that he could have prevented it...

_If I simply had the proper training,_ Sonic thought. _I will not allow any more tears to be shed because we did nothing. I promise to get stronger, then we can defeat Robotnik and end this war once and for all!_

"If you're thinking what I think you are, you may be right."

Sonic turned towards his door and saw Dr. Osaka leaning against the wall. "You really should lock your door if you don't want people coming in unannounced," he suggested standing tall. "And while I may not agree with your decision I will support you in the only way possible."

"How...did you know?" Sonic asked.

"I've seen that look before," Dr. Osaka admitted. "Many years ago your father had the same look before joining the Royal Guard."

"My father?" Sonic said surprised. "You knew my old man?"

"Yes," Dr. Osaka said nodding. "We were friends long before the coup. We grew up together, went to school, even had our own little schemes as pranksters. As a matter of fact that's how he met your mother."

Sonic stopped packing. He remembered his parents and a few memories of them but little else. He had always wanted to know more but Uncle Chuck had never told him. "What were they like?" he asked finally.

"You get your sense of heroism from your father," Dr. Osaka said smiling walking over to Sonic. "He and your uncle were the most unlikely of brothers. While his brother got the brains, Eric got the skills. He became an incredible swordsman and was eventually appointed to second-in-command of the Royal Guard. I had heard rumors his skills were on par with that of the Captain of the Guard, Antoine's father. As for your mother, Alura, I have yet to see a more beautiful animal. You get your looks from her as well as your charm. I wouldn't have had a chance with her once she met your father, even if he had put her hand in warm water overnight."

The two of them laughed. "That was the most savage beating I've ever seen Eric take without fighting back," Dr. Osaka continued. "They were perfect for each other in every way. After you were born your mother gave up her career to raise you. It turned out to be a good thing once your speed developed."

"How is it that I have that?" Sonic asked his curiosity piqued. "Uncle Chuck said he didn't know."

Dr. Osaka was silent for a moment as his previous mirth faded. "It wouldn't surprise me that he doesn't know," he said finally. "We thought at first it was genetic but then both your father and uncle would have had it."

"What happened to them?" Sonic asked. "I heard they vanished before the coup happened and my mother left me in Rosie's care."

Dr. Osaka shook his head. "That I don't know," he admitted. "The King had given them some sort of secret order that Eric wouldn't discuss even with me. They left the week of the coup without a word and haven't been heard from since. I have tried contacting them through other Freedom Fighter bases but have had no luck." He finally held up the wrapped object and handed it to Sonic. "Before they left he wanted me to give you this. Think of it as your inheritance."

Sonic unwrapped it to reveal a sheathed katana. The saya (sheath) itself was jet black and the tsuba (guard) was shaped in a five-pointed star pattern. There was a back strap attached to the saya with the design and crest of the Royal Guard on it. The tsuka (hilt) was wrapped in a tightly bound red leather in a crisscrossing design. Sonic began to unsheathe it when the entire hut was filled with bright light. The edge was so white it almost glowed while the back only a few shades darker. Sonic's eyes began to water as what this was settled in.

"My dad's...sword," he said. "I remember he used to carry this around. No matter how many times I asked he would never show it to me. He would always say I was too young to be around a sword."

"Before he left with your mother he entrusted me with it," Dr. Osaka said sighing. "He said to give it to you 'when the time was right'. I didn't know what he meant then but now I think he meant when you begin to discover your own way in the world." The lynx sat down at Sonic's table, a great weight off of his shoulders. "I know that you intend to train with Daryl, Sonic," he admitted. "While I don't agree with your decision I know that I cannot change your mind. You must do what your heart says is right. If you follow your heart you can do no wrong. I know you can do this, Sonic." With that Dr. Osaka left Sonic to his own thoughts. The young hedgehog looked at him as left and then down at his father's sword, gripping the tsuka tighter before sheathing it.

"Thank you, Dad," he whispered and brushed a tear from his eye. He strapped the katana onto his back so that he could draw with his right hand. "I won't let you guys down. I promise."


	8. Admissions

That night Sonic sat on the edge of his bed, his decision to leave hanging on his conscience. It had to be done, no question about it. That still didn't make it any easier. He grabbed his cloak and walked into the moonlight. He walked towards the power ring pool and saw a figure sitting at the edge waiting on him. Sally turned around when she heard his footsteps.

"Sonic," she said as he sat next to her, "why did you ask me to meet you here so late? Is something wrong?"

"I'm leaving Knothole, Sal," he said bluntly. "I don't know how long I'll be gone or even if..." He took a deep breath. "Or even if I'll come back. This is something that I have to do though. It may give us our best option against Robotnik."

To say the least Sally was shocked. "No, Sonic," she pleaded. "You can't leave. We need you here to help us fight. What will happen to us if we don't have you?"

"The Freedom Fighters still have you," he said bringing his hand to her face. "As long as we have our Princess we cannot lose to Robotnik, right?"

"It's not just that, Sonic," she said, holding his hand. "It's not just the Freedom Fighters that need you. I...need you." A tear fell down her cheek and Sonic stopped it with his other hand.

"I have to Sal," he said. "I won't let Robotnik bring tears to your eyes ever again. That I promise." They looked into each other's eyes and Sally could see his resolve. She buried herself in his chest hugging him tightly.

"Sonic..." she said more tears coming. Sonic gently put his arms around her as a single tear rolled down his cheek. She looked up at him and him at her. Both their hearts were racing as their faces drew closer to each other. They closed their eyes and kissed, holding it for what seemed an eternity. They parted and Sally put her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, Sonic Hedgehog," she said finally. "I always have but I could never put it into words how I felt. I've been so wrapped up in fighting Robotnik that I tried to pretend I didn't. But when you nearly died I couldn't bear to leave your side. I was so worried that you wouldn't make it."

Sonic said nothing, only holding her closer. What he had been trying to deny all these years, this was it. He stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes.

"I love you too, Sally Alicia Acorn," he finally admitted. "Ever since we were little kids I knew you were the one I was meant to be with forever. That's why I have to do this. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

He kissed her again, this time with all the passion and fire in his soul. She returned the kiss in full, feeling like she was finally complete. When they finally parted they both stood.

"I have to go," he said still holding her hands. "If I don't go now I may never be able to."

"Promise me you'll come back," she asked. "Come back to us...and to me."

Sonic stared into her blue eyes as another tear ran down his cheek. "I promise," he said smiling.

She gave him one last kiss and they finally parted. She watched as he walked into the forest, vanishing before her eyes. She sat down and curled up into a ball, crying silently into her knees.

At Cherrywood Daryl calmly stood in the village square. The village was quiet but he could still feel the agony of the dead clawing at his mind. There was no doubt in his mind as to whether or not Sonic would come. At the stroke of midnight he heard footsteps not far from where he stood.

"You finally came," he said as Sonic approached. "I was beginning to worry."

"I had to settle a few things before I left," Sonic replied. "My mind is set: I'm here to take you up on your offer."

"We should leave now then," Daryl began explaining. "Our destination will take time to reach and we have much to do." As they walked to the west towards the mountains Sonic turned to look at the village one last time.

"No one else dies from here on out. I won't allow it."


	9. Threats in Waiting

"Snively! Report!"

Robotnik had been in a foul mood lately and Snively was getting the brunt of it. He muttered something under his breath as he got his list together.

"Sir, SWATbot production is currently at seventy-five percent," he started nervously.

"And why is it that low, Snively?"

"We have had to temporarily redirect power to the new plant you just brought online," he replied quickly. "The plant should be running on its own power within 48 hours sir."

"You're fortunate you added that to your report," Robotnik said pyramiding his fingers. "Go on."

"The AI units for the new SWATbots have finally been perfected and we're installing them in every tenth unit like you ordered sir."

"How 'perfect' are they?"

"We're running the final field test on them right now sir, we should have the results within minutes." Snively hoped his uncle was happier now.

Robotnik smiled and laughed quietly. "And the new weapon?" he asked.

"The new R-Wave has been integrated into the SWATbots for seamless transition," Snively reported. "I also have the Alpha Prototype ready for you sir."

"Bring it in," Robotnik beckoned.

Snively pressed a button and a very familiar looking robot walked in. Robotnik stood up and walked around the bot eyeing him carefully.

"I can still tell this is a robot Snively," he angrily. "Do you really think that the Freedom Fighters would fall for this?"

"As I said sir, it's only the prototype," Snively said breaking into a sweat. "We should have an exact replica very soon. We're still developing the technology necessary-"

"I do not want excuses Snively!" Robotnik yelled backhanding the robot. The bot shattered from the impact of Robotnik's metal hand. "When will you have a fully functional realistic replica for me?"

"As I was saying, sir," Snively whimpered, "we don't have the necessary technology for what you've requested. And locating Dr. Rose has been difficult since the attack on Beechwood. Without his notes it could take years to develop the technology on our own."

"That is _not_ the news I want to hear, Snively!" Robotnik snarled as he sat back in the command chair. "We must focus on finding that hedgehog at all costs."

"Yes, sir. I will have the SWATbots renew their search immediately." As Snively walked away he scowled, briefly glancing back at his uncle. "And when I find him I'll make sure that you get what's coming to you, fat boy," he muttered.

Back in Knothole Rotor set a SWATbot arm on his workbench. He had been working for almost two days straight now and still couldn't figure out how the weapon itself worked. He had been able to fire the blaster with ease but getting the right energy configuration to fire the sound wave had proved far more difficult. He had just made a few more adjustments and was ready to test once more, even if he was expecting the same results. He went over to his computer panels and pressed a couple buttons. Slowly the power needle climbed up to twenty percent...fifty percent...ninety...one hundred!

"Fire!" he yelled for no one's sake but his own. A laser shot out and he sighed, powering down the system. He was tired, hungry, and fed up with this thing. Maybe if he got something to eat and some sleep he'd be able to think more clearly. He walked out of his lab into the night and went over to his hut. He opened his cooling unit that he had whipped up a few months before and pulled out a fish. He licked his lips and swallowed it whole. Already he felt better. He stepped into the shower trying to think about what he was doing wrong. When he got out and dried off he was still thinking about it. He laid down running more scenarios through his head until he drifted off to sleep.

He woke up early and let out a loud yawn that could've woken the dead. He finally felt like he was at a hundred percent again. He grabbed his toolbelt and hat and went over to his lab where Sally and Bunnie were waiting for him outside.

"Any luck yet, Rote?" Bunnie asked yawning lightly.

He shook his head in dismay. "I've spent two days on that thing," he said opening the door. "There's just something I'm missing. I just don't know whether it's in the physical parts or the amount of energy that needs to be generated."

"You want me to have Nicole look at the arm?" Sally offered. He shook his head again.

"This is something I want to find on my own," he insisted. "And after spending two days there's no way I'm gonna let a computer find it in five minutes. No offense to either of you." Sally gave him a nod of understanding. If it had been her she would have said the same thing. Rotor opened the arm again and looked carefully through it moving wires aside. He eyes opened in disbelief and disgust. "Is this little thing it?" he asked reaching for his screwdriver. "I swear if this is..." He continued muttering to himself as he pieced the arm back together and placed it on the makeshift range. He stepped behind the computer and turned on the generator. He watched as the power climbed little by little.

"What was it y'all found, Rotor?" Bunnie asked watching the meter.

"It was this tiny gear I've missed every time I've opened the thing up," he said. "It's buried in there with everything else so I switched it over to see what happens. Here we go!" He slammed his hand on the button and nothing happened. He scratched his head and looked at his monitors. All of them were blank except one which was fluctuating rapidly. He smiled and began hopping and shouting. "I found it!" he exclaimed happily. "After two days I finally found the little bugger."

"How long until you can make something to defend against it?" Sally asked.

At this he just shrugged. "I don't honestly know," he admitted. "It may take a few weeks, it may take a few months. I do know I'm gonna need Uncle Chuck and Dr. Osaka's help on this."

"What you need doc for?" Bunnie asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna need him to create a dummy so Uncle Chuck and I can test whether whatever we come up with actually works."

Sally nodded, excitement coursing through her. "I'll send a carrier pigeon to Sir Charles to let him know," she said with a smile. "Bunnie, go get Dr. Osaka and tell him to come here. We may have found a huge weakness in Robotnik's greatest weapon. Just tell me what you need Rotor and you'll have it."

"Thanks a lot Sally," he said turning back to his workstation.

As they left the hut Sally turned to Bunnie concerned. "If this takes Rotor as long as he thinks it will," she said, "we may want to hold off on any unnecessary raids into Robotropolis."

"Ah'll start tellin' the others," Bunnie said running off. "Ah'm sure everybody'll understand, Sally-girl."

"I hope they do Bunnie," Sally whispered. She looked up into the morning sky. "Sonic...please come back to us, and me, soon."

Out in the Great Unknown a blue hedgehog and a blonde human were locked in combat. Their swords clashed intensely with each parrying the other's blows. The human carried a much larger sword and had the obvious advantage but the smaller katana-wielding hedgehog moved much faster than his opponent.

"You are using your speed to your advantage," Daryl said as they locked blades again. "Excellent! But you must improve your technique. You will need more than speed."

"Don't act as if I don't know that," Sonic said with a growl. "My speed is part of my technique." With that he disengaged and slashed quickly. Daryl had no time to block and a small amount of blood spurted from a small cut on his forearm. He lowered his sword and smiled.

"That is enough for today," he said sheathing the blade. "You have drawn first blood. You are rapidly improving. We may be able to start the second stage of this training much sooner than I had anticipated."

"Don't you dare start going easy on me," Sonic said sheathing his blade as well. "I want you to push me to the very brink of death over and over. I have to be able to survive anything if this is to work."

Daryl Kintobor laughed and patted his apprentice on the shoulder. "If it's that kind of training you want then I will give it to you eventually" he said walking back towards their campsite. "That type of training will require you to learn how to _really_ fight. For now what we must do..."


	10. Discovery

Sally sat down with Nicole and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She had chosen to let her grow out further than she normally kept it, much to Rosie's dismay. It had only grown down to about her shoulders in the last four months and she intended to let it keep growing. She liked it; it gave her a more mature look despite Rosie's protest that she looked very "un-princesslike". Nicole's screen projected the latest map of Robotropolis and she looked around for anything new. Robotnik's newest factory had gone online months ago and even had its own power source. They had been wondering why the raids were so easy when they went in; Robotnik had drawn energy away from the main SWATbot plants. On top of that Uncle Chuck had been unable to determine what was actually in the plant. Nothing had come out of the plant the entire time they had scouted it out and it was practically impenetrable. They would have needed Sonic to have even a remote chance.

Sally shook her head trying not to think about him. It had been over four months since he had left in the middle of the night. He had told no one except her what he was doing but what he hadn't said where he was going or how long he'd been gone. Most of the village had seen through her lie easily and figured he was doing something else, though they couldn't determine what. She still missed him and his absence was still like a void in her being.

_He promised he'd come back_, she thought zooming in on an area of the map. _Sonic has always kept his promises, he wouldn't start breaking them now. _She yawned and looked at the area she had zoomed in on. A confused look crossed her face as she zoomed in closer on a particular building. It was the size of a small house but from what the map showed it was heavily guarded. What would Robotnik want with a simple house?

"Nicole, can you give me an interior view of that building?" she asked the small computer. "I will try Sally," the computer said. Sally waited while Nicole redrew the hologram thinking that she'd have to ask Rotor if he'd be able to install some of those updates he kept talking about into Nicole. She still ran fine for what they needed but some extra power wouldn't hurt. "Simulation complete Sally," Nicole said. "Unfortunately due to interference I am unable to show all objects."

Sally looked at the one room building carefully. There were no SWATbots in the building, only outside it. The only area that Nicole had been unable to draw up, as far as Sally could tell, was a large square in the middle of the floor. "What kind of interference Nicole?" Sally asked curiously.

"Unable to determine Sally," the computer replied. "Energy is of an unknown source."

Sally was taken aback. This was the first time Nicole had ever given her an answer like that. She'd been able to determine the amount of energy that the Deep Power Stones could generate and yet a hole had her stumped. This was something she had to check out. Sally closed her up and attached her to her boot before hurrying out her door, nearly knocking down Ari and Lupe in the process.

"Princess Sally!" Lupe said as Sally grabbed her arm. "It's good to see you again."

Sally smiled at the leader of the Wolf Pack Freedom Fighters. "Sorry you two," she said helping Ari up as well. "I was just going to get Dr. Osaka to take a look at something I had found."

"Perhaps we can help, Princess," Ari offered. "Lupe is very knowledgeable in the ancient history of Mobius and I have a great deal of experience with technology, especially Robotnik's." At the end his face twisted as if he had heard a sour note. Sally remembered that Ari had been tricked by Robotnik to lead Sonic into a deadly game that had almost gotten him sucked into the Void, though he had eventually sacrificed himself to save Sonic. Though no one blamed him he was doing everything in his power to make up for his betrayal. Sonic's disappearance had hit him rather hard since he had never really had an opportunity to apologize or thank the hedgehog.

"Well, I found this odd house in Robotropolis," Sally began. "As near as I can tell there's nothing inside of value but Robotnik has it as heavily guarded as his SWATbot plants. I tried seeing more but Nicole says there's some kind of interference."

"That does seem odd," Ari said crossing his arms. "Would you mind showing us?"

Sally nodded and motioned for them to follow her to the War Room. Once there she set Nicole on the table. "Nicole, display last hologram," she commanded.

"One moment Sally," Nicole said.

Once the image came up Sally pointed to the blank square in the floor. "Nicole wasn't able to scan what's in this area," she explained. "No matter what kind of field or energy I've had Nicole scan she's never failed me. Whatever's in there is interfering with any sort of sensors, which may explain why Robotnik has his SWATbots on the outside."

Ari had a confused look on his face while Lupe looked extremely concerned. "I believe I may know what it is," she said. "Unfortunately the only way to determine whether I am accurate or not is to go there." She began coughing gradually getting more violent. Ari caught her and helped her up.

"Are you sure you want to do this in your condition?" he asked still holding her. Lupe nodded and looked at him.

"I am sure," she answered. "I will not let a little illness stop me."

"What's going on?" Sally asked. "Is there something wrong at your base?"

"We have been having some strange...storms lately," Ari said as Lupe erupted into another coughing fit. "It began earlier this month. Many of the Wolf Pack have felt something odd in the wind for some time now. Just a couple weeks ago we noticed that a large storm had perched over the den. Right now it's just wind and lightning but we're expecting the worst. It was nothing at first, but with every passing day it has gotten worse."

"We should check that out first," Sally said closing Nicole. "We can check this out any day; I'm more worried about you guys."

"We will be fine, Princess," Lupe said standing. "The only reason that I am ill is because of someone's meddling in the elemental energies."

"The what?" Sally asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The very energies that hold Mobius in balance," Ari explained. "Certain tribes are more aware of changes that occur when someone attempts to harness their power. It just so happens that the Wolf Pack is sensitive to changes in the wind, especially a storm of this size."

"Some time away will help," Lupe said gently brushing Ari's hands off. "Besides, what is in that dwelling may in fact help with our problem."

"I'll get a team together," Sally said. "In the meantime, I want you to go see Dr. Osaka. No complaints!" Sally raised her hand as the wolf began to protest. "I need you in your best condition for this mission. Don't force me to make this a Royal Order."

Lupe sighed. "Very well Princess," she said. "Seven of us would be the most appropriate number and will allow me to see the truth of this place."

Sally arched an eyebrow but chose not to question the wolf. Lupe broke into another fit and Ari picked her up. As he carried her to Osaka's hut Sally couldn't help but wonder if there was something here she was missing.

Two hours later Sally, Ari and Lupe, Tails, Bunnie, and Antoine were crouched behind a pile of scrap just beyond the guarded house. Sally looked to the sky to see Dulcy circling around. Robotnik's radar had not yet picked her up and Sally couldn't help but be grateful. Dulcy was wearing soundproof earmuffs that would protect her against the R-Wave but it also prevented her from hearing anything else.

Without warning Dulcy plunged, sucking in a huge amount of air. She let loose her icy breath freezing all but one of the SWATbots who had the mind to duck out of the way. It had only begun to raise its arm when Dulcy shot out a small fireball and turned the bot into molten slag. The others ran towards the house as Dulcy gently touched ground and removed her earmuffs.

"I have to admit Dulcy you're getting much better at landing," Sally commented to the dragon.

Dulcy beamed. "I've been practicing," she said. "That was landing number ten with no accidents during or after."

"Should we be getting inside soon?" Antoine asked nervously looking around. "Ze lack of the alarms is unsettling."

"Tony's right," Dulcy said. "You guys get in there, I'll make sure these guys don't thaw out until you get back."

"Be careful, Dulce!" Bunnie yelled as they entered.


	11. A Forgotten Temple

Once the door closed behind them they were surrounded by darkness. Sally looked down at Nicole. Her screen was fluctuating wildly. She sighed and clipped the computer back on her boot. "We need some light," she said looking around. A bright flame lit behind her as Ari and Lupe took the torches off the wall. They handed one to each of the Freedom Fighters. Sally looked at them curiously.

"It is much easier for me to see in the dark," Lupe explained seeing her look. "Our eyes have adapted to living in the darkness of the canyon's catacombs."

"Is it just me or does anyone have this really strange feeling about this place?" Tails asked, staring at the hole in the ground.

"Ah know one thing," Bunnie said her teeth chattering, "and it's that Ah'm turnin' into a popsicle over here."

But it's the same temperature in here as it is outside," Sally replied and turned to Lupe. "What's going on?"

"Tell me, Princess," Lupe looking at her, "how do you feel?"

Sally stopped and thought. She didn't really feel that different, just very...

"Peaceful," Sally said finishing her thought out loud. "I've never felt this at peace in my entire life."

"Antoine?" Lupe asked turning.

Antoine looked unsure. "I am feeling...strange," he said slowly. He then turned to Bunnie. "I am not sure I can say what it is. Perhaps it would be being better if I were to show you." Without warning he grabbed Bunnie and kissed her, leaning her back. Responding instantly Bunnie returned the kiss in full as the rest of them stood there in shock. When they came up Antoine smiled. "Spontaneous," he smiled. "That is what it is being."

"Phew, Ah guess that Ah don't need to worry 'bout bein' cold," Bunnie said. She was probably blushing but in the dark it was hard to tell. Everyone laughed lightly.

"What about you, Ari?" Lupe asked.

Ari adjusted his pose as if he was slightly uncomfortable. "I feel...strong," he said finally. "I feel like a wall that will let no intruder pass." Lupe turned to Tails with a querying glance.

"I'm...with Aunt Sally on this one," he said hesitantly. "It feels pretty calm here."

"What about you, Lupe?" Sally asked. "I think it's only fair that you tell us since you asked us."

Lupe smiled and closed her eyes. "I feel as if a million secrets are being whispered to me all at once," she said. "I can hear whispers of love, betrayal, even the scent of home in my nostrils."

"What exactly is it that we are to be feeling?" Antoine asked, holding Bunnie's hand.

"They are manifestations of the elements," Lupe explained. "Fire is the consumer and life bringer. Water seeks to protect and heal. Lightning is unpredictable and powerful. Earth stands strong in the face of danger. Wind is the trickster and keeper of secrets."

Tails counted on his fingers. "That's five," he said. "So why did we need seven?"

"I have not finished," Lupe said. "There are two additional elements that are frequently overlooked, though I am glad one of them is not present." She looked at Sally. "Life guards all that is sacred and preserves the light of hope."

"So what's the last one?" Tails interrupted impatiently.

Lupe looked at the young fox. "It is the very power over death. It allows you to hear the spirits of the dead and the damned. It is a tool of evil and deceit. It is the power of shadow." A sudden chill went through the air almost on cue with Lupe. It was not a cold breeze but more like that something evil had been acknowledged. Lupe looked down into the well. "We must descend," she said. "Whatever answers we seek will be found at the end of the tunnel."

"Please do not be using zat term," Antoine said swallowing. "I am being uncomfortable as it is." Everyone smiled, Antoine's comment relieving some of the tension. They dropped into the pit and began walking down an incline, the only light from the torch Lupe carried.

"Are we there yet?" Tails asked after a few minutes of walking.

"There's no way to tell just how deep this tunnel goes, Tails," Sally reprimanded him lightly. "For all we know it stretches all the way into the Great Forest."

"Ah, Mademoiselle Lupe, just where is this tunnel to be leading us?" Antoine asked as he handed his jacket to a shivering Bunnie.

"My ancestors believed that long ago this place served as a temple," the wolf explained. "It was said that the original inhabitants of Mobotropolis would travel here to uncover their latent elemental abilities."

"You mean like controlling fire or water?" Tails asked and Lupe nodded.

"And not just the two of those, but all of them," she continued. "It was said that at one time there were seven beings who protected all of Mobius with these powers. But one was corrupted."

"The shadow guy, right?" Bunnie guessed, earning another nod from Lupe. "Man, Ah'm glad we've never run into this guy."

"I don't know much about the place, but my understanding was that this place was more of a formality," Ari chipped in. "Coming to the temple was seen like a pilgrimage, paying homage to the ancestors."

"To answer your question, Antoine, there is no way to know how far we will go," Lupe said. "Many of my ancestors said that the journey took days, while others only hours."

"How is that possible?" Sally asked.

"I do not know," Lupe said quietly. "There is another theory as to why this temple is here. It was meant to be used as a prison, and the only reason animals made the journey here was so that they could become the new guards and see the evil for themselves. But we have never found any proof supporting this idea."

"You are closer to the truth than you realize, young one," a voice said.

They all looked around for the source of the voice. Further down the tunnel a pin of light appeared. Antoine gulped.

"I am not to be liking the light at the end of the tunnel," he said nervously.

"We must press on," Lupe said determined. "We are almost there." They walked toward the light. Sally was sure she was seeing things but it seemed the closer they came to light the closer it came to them.

"What was that voice?" Sally finally asked after almost an hour of walking. "And why did it only speak up when you mentioned about this place being a prison?"

"I...do not know," Lupe admitted. "None of my ancestors ever mentioned hearing a voice. Perhaps they thought that no one would believe them if they started talking about disembodied voices."

"L-l-like a g-ghost?" Tails asked, now extremely nervous. Laughing filled the tunnel and the light rushed them without warning, blinding them.

"This young one speaks the truth," the same voice said again. When their vision cleared they were in a well-lit seven-walled chamber. On each wall there was the outline of a door covered in sigils different than the walls around them. The ground began to shake as a pedestal came up from the floor. On it appeared a ghostly hedgehog standing at twice their height wearing clothing that appeared to be at least part robe.

"Ancestor," Lupe said falling to her knees and bowing her head. "We are not worthy."

"Rise, child," the spirit said. "You are indeed worthy."

"Who are you?" Sally asked. "And what is this place?"

"If it helps you I will refer to myself as Magus, though I am many entities," it said. "I am the collective energy and memories of the Magi. And this chamber is our sacred temple where all our secrets are held, where Guardians are born."

Lupe's eyes widened. "The Magi?" she said incredulously. "I thought they were all wiped out!"

"Not all of us," Magus answered. "Thousands of years ago a rift appeared between our people and your ancestors. That rift led to a bloody conflict that only ended with the near-extermination of my people. Looking back it was our own fault we were destroyed. We treated the Mobians as second-class citizens and in the end we reaped what we had sown."

"What do you mean?" Ari asked. "I thought the Magi were supposed to have been harbingers of peace not some warmongering slavedrivers."

"The Magans were not that different from Mobians in the beginning," Magus said crossing his arms. "But as time went on it became clear our mistakes had doomed us. That, however, is a story for another time."

Sally looked at the other three from Knothole. From the looks on their faces they were as lost as she was. None of this was making sense to her. She just wanted to know what was going on. "Is there any help that you can offer us in the fight against Robotnik?" she asked stepping forward. "We've been fighting him for over a decade and he only continues to gain strength."

"Your plight is known to me, Princess Sally Alicia Acorn," Magus said staring at her. "You are not the first to come here in recent times. Your ally was here asking me the same thing."

"Our ally...You mean lil' ol' sugarhog?" Bunnie asked and Magus nodded. "Well, what did y'all tell him?"

"That is a matter that you should discuss with him," he said. "I have served my purpose here and I shall return to the land of the dead. Farewell, Freedom Fighters." With that he vanished. The six of them looked at each other, all with confused looks. Sally pulled out Nicole and opened her up.

"Nicole, can you scan the glyphs in this room?" she asked hoping the computer was working.

Nicole beeped. "Yes I can, Sally," she said. "Beginning scan."

Sally closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "That's one good thing," she said exhaling. "Still, he wasn't all that helpful."

"He has likely been here for thousands of years," Ari offered. "And we know now that Sonic was here too. That's definitely good news."

"But was this Magus being more helpful to Sonic than to us?" Antoine asked. "All he said was that we are to be talking to Sonic himself."

"He didn't exactly leave a way to get in touch," Sally said leaning on the wall. "But if we need to talk to him then I take it as a good sign. Get the word that we have a new weapon against Robotnik from the mouth of the hedgehog himself."

"Is this what Sonic left to find?" Tails asked quietly.

"There is no way to know," Lupe answered. "These doors might indicate how many Guardians there are or they might be some kind of list of current Guardians. It's possible that Sonic was sent to one of them to ask for their help."

"Scan complete, Sally," Nicole interrupted. "The glyphs seem similar to another ruin we have found. The translation will take some time due to the large amount of information."

"How long, Nicole?" Sally asked, brushing away her hair.

"It will take several months. I am not sure of the layout of the Temple so I must also determine the flow of the glyphs."

Sally sighed. This was not good news. "Go ahead and get started, Nicole," Sally said. "And good job." She closed the computer up and put her back on her boot.

"That's one thing done," she said shaking her head. "We should head back before Dulcy gets in too far over her head."

The others nodded in agreement. They walked towards the upward-sloping tunnel when they suddenly felt a great force around them. In a heartbeat they were at the surface of the tunnel.

"It would seem that Magus is not completely opposed to helping us, even if it was just the walk out of here," Lupe said with a smile. "That was not a hike I was looking forward to again."

"Yes," Antoine said nodding. "My feets are already in the aching and blisters." He took his boots off and dumped several rocks out of them. "We should be leaving soon, yes?" he asked. "I am hoping Dulcy is okay."

Ari opened the door and there curled up on the ground was Dulcy napping. Sally let out a little laugh and put her fingers in her mouth to whistle.

"What? What? Where's the fire, ma?" Dulcy said, snapping awake at Sally's whistle. She looked down at them and breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad to see you guys are okay, I got bored after the first hour."

"Are you sure about that, Aunt Dulcy?" Tails asked. "There's no way it was more than an hour."

"Try six," Dulcy corrected him. "I would've gone after you but you know me and small places."

Bunnie and Antoine climbed onto her saddle as Ari and Lupe grabbed Sally and Tails' hands respectively. They took off towards Knothole, making sure to keep under Robotnik's radar. When they arrived Rotor came running out of his hut.

"I've got news from the Wolf Pack!" he said, panting heavily.


	12. History of Mobius

"The storms have passed!" she exclaimed happily. "Our scouts found a hooded Mobian at the top of the cliff who looked like he was controlling the storm. Unfortunately he managed to fight off our people before they could capture him."

"That is something," Antoine said. "I am remembering the Wolf Pack are all being very fierce fighters."

"They are," Lupe said. "Ten of our finest and he defeated them with ease. That's no small feat by anyone's standard. I am glad to hear that no one was severely injured." She turned to Sally and shook her hands. "I thank you for taking me, Princess. I feel blessed having been able to speak with one of the Ancestors."

Sally smiled as they rose. "That's something I should be thanking you for Lupe," she replied. "If it hadn't been for your and Ari's guidance I would've left that place undisturbed."

"We will see you soon, Princess," Ari said. The two of them turned and walked into the forest. They watched them leave and sighed.

"It is good to be back," Antoine said. "I could be using a nap."

"Sounds like a good idea 'Twan," Bunnie said smiling mischievously. "And I know just the thing that'll help."

Sally couldn't hear what Bunnie told Antoine but whatever it was made him blush profusely and stammer out his response. Maybe it was a good thing she couldn't hear them, especially with Tails right there watching them. He made a face and stuck out his tongue.

"Gross," he said. "What do they see in stuff like that?"

Sally laughed. "You'll understand one day Tails," she said mussing his hair. "Soon you'll be as flirtatious as Sonic." At that thought she shivered. "On the other hand Tails, if you do that I may have to hurt you."

"Nuh uh, I don't ever wanna get old and date girls," he said shaking his head.

"You may not have much of a choice about that honey," Sally replied walking towards Dr. Osaka's hut. She could see him go back to his hut just as the sun had just started to go down. How had they been down there six hours? It had hardly seemed over a half-hour. She knocked on his door and the lynx answered promptly. When he saw her he smiled and let her in.

"Glad to see you're alright Princess," he said as she sat down. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to be patching anyone up today. So far so good."

Sally couldn't help but smile at that. "As long as Sonic's not here I think you're going to be pretty bored," she said pointing to the book he had nearly finished. "If I remember you just started that one too."

"Don't take this the wrong way Princess," Dr. Osaka said, "but I consider it a good day when I don't have to see anyone. Visiting, on the other hand, is perfectly fine. Coffee?" He offered her a mug and she smiled taking it.

"At this time of night?" she asked warily taking a sip.

"It's decaf, so it's kinda pointless."

He and Sally laughed. When it had subsided she looked at him seriously. "Dr. Osaka, you are one of the most knowledgeable Mobians I know," she began. "What do you know about the Magi?"

A worried look crossed his face for an instant and was gone, but not before Sally caught it. "I know a little about the Magi," he said slowly. "I have made it a point to know much about Mobian myths and legends. The Magi are the source of many of these, including the power of magic. It is more commonly referred to as 'elemental power'. I have even heard several legends regarding the creation of the Magi."

"Would you mind telling me?" Sally asked. "Nicole is working on a pretty massive translation of a temple we found built by the Magi. Unfortunately she doesn't know how long it's going to take."

"The stories themselves are extremely long," he explained. "I will give you the shortened version of them. One tells of seven beings who could feel the different energies of Mobius. They combined their powers to seal a great evil that would have consumed the whole planet. Afterwards they dispersed their powers to their followers, thus creating the Magi.

"There is another tale that seems far more feasible to me," he continued taking a sip of coffee. "It concerns Dulcy's people and it is one of their most treasured legends. When Mobius was first created there were two forces that fought against each other, Chaos and Order. Order sought to bring control to the swirling mass that was our world while Chaos wanted to destroy it. In the end Order won but was broken into seven pieces. Each piece represented a different aspect of its very being. These are the seven aspects that keep Mobius in balance: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Life, and Death. These forces keep Mobius from destroying itself. They then began to create life on our world by using their energies to balance the chaos that ruled over us.

"When they had shaped the world as they saw fit they released their energies to the animals living there, giving them life. These are our progenitors, the first Magi. They were each entrusted with the powers of a dragon and therefore became their Dragoons. These Dragoons gave birth to the Guardians, the soldiers of each Aspect's army. I don't know the specifics but at some point a rift formed in the Magi ranks, eventually calling themselves 'Mobians'. As a sign of companionship, the Magi extended the title of Guardian to them and for a time there was peace.

"Chaos was not one to be complacent in defeat, however. He used what power he had left and corrupted one of the Aspects, turning it against the others. It has created an endless cycle where evil rises only to be quashed by good. Likewise, when peace exists on the whole planet war restores chaos to the order so that balance is always kept."

Sally sat there absorbing what he had said. She had heard much of the same tale from Dulcy but hearing of the Mobian origins was definitely new. Hearing it from Dr. Osaka now made her doubt that it was simply a dragonling's bedtime story. "Where does the Maker fit into all of this?" she asked finally. "I was taught as a child that the Maker created Mobius and life on it. Are you telling me that none of that is true?"

"It is simply another story of the creation of Mobius," he said, waving it away. "Believe what you want, but know all you can. Your father has more than likely told you this before but knowledge is power. To know all that you can prepares you for anything that life throws at you. What you believe will shape your morals that you follow for the rest of your life. What you know will determine how long you live."

Sally pondered what he was saying. It made sense and her father had always pressed her to learn as much as she could especially in regards to history. She would have to think about all of this. "Aside from that," she said changing the subject, "have you heard anything new about Robotnik's new factory? We didn't get a chance to head over there once we got out of the temple and I know Sir Charles probably contacted either you or Rotor about it."

"I am afraid I know nothing more of this plant," Dr. Osaka said sighing. "Though something tells me that something sinister is in there."

Sally couldn't argue there. Just thinking about Robotnik though brought up another thing that had been bothering her. Antoine had finally given her a detailed description of Sonic and Soul's fight, including what had made Sonic choose to follow the human to train. "Doctor, what do you know about the elemental powers someone can wield?" she asked.

"Not as much as I would care to," he admitted and Sally could detect the hint of a lie. "What I do know is that everyone is bound to a particular element. There are exceptions to some techniques, such as the ability to command the wind to move you or use water to heal minor injuries. I also know that when you grasp a power it changes the color of your eyes to match that particular element. Why?"

"Antoine said that in Sonic's fight Soul stabbed the ground and then vanished. He described it as though time seemed to stop," she explained. Dr. Osaka leaned back in his chair.

"That does not make sense," he said pensively. "There is no spell I'm aware of that can stop time for any length. Though with the correct sorcery you could simulate the effect to some extent. But as far as I know Daryl never studied it."

"Is there anything else that it could be?" Sally pressed him.

"It is something that is capable with technology," he said. "It would be simple to create a situation with a computer but it would take an equally powerful one to transmit the memory..." Dr. Osaka stopped. No, not even Robotnik would be that foolish. But he could have easily have done it if he was twisted enough. "Robotnik, you damn fool!" Osaka said angrily. "It does fit the description, though."

"What does?" Sally asked nervously. "What did Robotnik do?"

"What do you know of androids, Sally?" Osaka asked.

Sally nodded. "It's a mechanical being created in the image of a person or animal," she answered. "There were even some thoughts of converting a person, living or dead, into an android but the research was abandoned." Dr. Osaka was silent as Sally began to add everything together. "By the Maker!" she realized dropping her mug. "Soul is...is..."

"An android," Osaka finished. "Robotnik took what was left of him after killing him and began piecing him back together. Though it seems strange for Robotnik to sic him on Sonic, even stranger still that he would listen. Perhaps some of Daryl's old personality is intact."

"Daryl...You've said that name before," Sally asked. "Who is he and what does he have to do with this?"

"Daryl Kintobor is Julian Kintobor's only immediate family that I know of," he explained, standing and heading into his room. "During the coup Daryl realized what was happening and went after his father, only to be gunned down by a battalion of SWATbots." He emerged a minute later with a duffle bag of gear and a quarterstaff strapped across his back. "Sally, I need you coordinate with Sir Charles, make sure that there have been no prisoner transports bearing Priority Two materials," he explained. "I am going to attempt to find Sonic and get a few answers from him."

"Doctor..."

"You will be fine, Princess," he interrupted. "Rosie is able to patch you lot up as well as I can. I will return before long. It shouldn't take long to find Sonic."

He walked towards the door and Sally saw for only a second as his eyes flashed a deep violet. A chill went down her spine when she saw them. It was almost identical to the chill when Lupe had described the power of shadow to them. With that he was gone into the twilight. Sally stared after him and then looked at the broken mug in disdain. She swept up the pieces and soaked up the coffee, afterwards doing up the doctor's dishes so he wouldn't have to worry about them when he returned.


	13. Yearly Wishes

Sally closed his door once everything was cleaned up and sighed. It had been an interesting day to say the least. Still, she felt like she was forgetting something. She smacked her forehead and laughed as she remembered: it was her birthday today! On the way back to her hut she took a peek in the War Room and could see the villagers taking down what could only be party decorations. She felt bad having missed the celebration. Now that she thought about it right now she would be chewing Sonic out for forgetting her birthday. She laughed quietly remembering all the excuses he had given the last few times he had forgotten.

"There's no way you're a year older Sal! You haven't aged a day." "It's been a year already? Wow, that snuck up on me." "Your present's in the mail, it should be here anytime."

She giggled as she remembered the last one. They had no mail system in Knothole other than the carrier pigeons to the different villages and Uncle Chuck. Each time though Sonic had found a way to make up for his forgetting and every time it had topped what she had gotten from everyone else. She missed him even more thinking about it. He had made sure never to miss her birthday, even if he was out scouting. Now she didn't even know where he was. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

She got to her hut and almost tripped over something in front of her door. She picked up the object, which turned out to be a box, and looked at it. It wasn't wrapped with anything special or festive and had something heavy in it. She looked around her to see who had left it. Her eyes scanned by Sonic's hut and almost missed it. There right by the door stood a robed figure with their face covered by a hood. Sally blinked and they vanished.

She went into her hut and set the box on the bed. She opened it carefully unsure of what was in it. When she finished opening it she brought her hands to her face in shock. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes at she stared at the picture. It was of her and Sonic before the coup. Her father had finally gotten him to stand still long enough for a picture with her and he had ruined it by jumping on her head just as the picture was taken. She remembered being furious at him and her father had just laughed. From then on he had kept the picture on him at all times to remind himself of the two of them. She picked up the picture and ran her hand over the stone frame. It was intricately carved, better than even the artisan stone masons of her father's court could do. In one of the corners was carved the crest of her family. It was smooth without any edges. It was beyond beautiful in her eyes and just a tad bit impossible, something that screamed Sonic.

"Sonic," she whispered holding the picture to her heart. "Thank you." It was then she was surrounded with an odd sensation. It felt as if someone had wrapped their arms around her and held her close. She smiled closing her eyes and stood there in the embrace. She had seen no arms and yet it felt like Sonic was holding her. A tear ran down her cheek thinking about him. Her eyes opened wide as three words were whispered into her ear:

"I didn't forget."

She spun around, almost dropping her present. No one was there and the embrace that had surrounded her was gone. There was no mistaking that had been Sonic's voice, but how? He was nowhere to be seen and she hadn't actually seen any arms around her. But it was as if Sonic had been standing right there behind her and whispered into her ear. She looked down at the picture and smiled again. She set it on her nightstand and looked around her hut. In one corner were piled a few gifts of varying size. There was also a note on the back of her door from Rotor about the upgrades for Nicole and an update on the newest version of the R-Wave cancelers She would have to go through the village tomorrow and thank everyone. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes, a smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

Just outside of Knothole the same hooded figure Sally had seen was walking back into the forest. He had been corporeal long enough for the princess to see him. A howl sounded through the forest and a chill ran down his spine. He knew what it was and somehow it had found him again. He took off at full speed trying to evade the creature.

_I was afraid of this, _he thought as he heard footsteps chasing after him. The creature had six long spikes sticking out of its back and its skin was bone-white. Its green eyes locked onto him as saliva poured from the razor sharp jaws. _Not only did this thing follow me here but doc is gone too._

[Knowing what you know now are you sure you can trust him?] a commanding voice boomed inside him.

_Honestly, I don't know,_ he answered. _He's taken care of us for so long I can't bring myself to think of him as a monster. Still, if it comes down to it I don't suppose I'll have much of a choice._

[It seems we finally agree on something,] the voice said. [You should return before it catches up to you. You won't like what happens if it manages to get a hold of you.]

_You mean aside from the obvious, right?_ he asked. _I know I've asked this before but are you sure this is the best way? Me getting eaten would put a definite damper on beating 'Buttnik._

[You wanted power, this is power in its purest form,] the voice replied. [For the fights ahead you will need every advantage you can get. Get back here quickly, though. Allowing it to remain outside of its prison will only cause more problems for you down the road.]

"Like my life wasn't complicated enough already," the figure muttered as he put on the speed.

Two more months passed without any news of Sonic or Dr. Osaka. Many of the Freedom Fighters were beginning to lose hope that they could win. Sally did her best to hold them together but she couldn't blame them. She had done as the doctor had asked but there had been no word on any "Priority Two" materials.

Far to the north Daryl Kintobor stood perched on the snow-capped mountains overlooking Robotropolis. Sonic had abandoned him early on in favor of a new master but soon it wouldn't matter. He already knew everything he needed to know about the hedgehog. He heard the wind howling behind him and turned to see Sonic.

"I'm impressed you found me up here," Daryl said smiling. "I suppose you want to head back and see your friends."

"I know what happened, Daryl," Sonic replied. "I didn't abandon you. If you'd just let me-"

"There's no need, Sonic," the human interrupted, his smile gone. "I already know what you're trying to say and I will not believe you."

"Like you said then, I'm heading back to my friends." Daryl was silent as Sonic announced this. "I know what's coming and I know that Robotnik is feeding them misinformation. If you change your mind I'll see you in Robotropolis." Sonic then vanished in a flurry of wind, leaving Daryl alone once more. The human looked toward Robotropolis once more before beginning the long descent into the city proper.

"This isn't over, Sonic," Daryl said to himself as his eyes glowed. "But soon enough it will be for you."


	14. The Hedgehog Returns

"Listen up everyone!" Sally announced standing on the stage of the War Room. "We just got word from Sir Charles that Robotnik's newest weapon will be ready in two weeks. We need to plan appropriately for this. Antoine, you have the floor."

She stepped aside as Antoine stood onstage. Sally had to admit that Antoine had changed a great deal over the last few months. Gone was the fox who jumped at the slightest unknown sound, or the Guard that was constantly trying to woo her with bad poetry and worse antics. There in front of her stood a strong resilient Freedom Fighter who had taken a step towards becoming an incredible military strategist. And ever since he had kissed Bunnie in their descent to the Temple of the Magi the two of them had been almost inseparable. Nicole brought up a map of Robotnik's plant large enough for the entire hut to see.

"Our best bet is to be entering from the northern entrance," he said pointing at the hologram. "The SWATbot patrols have been changing constantly so we are having to rethink our approaches." Nicole switched to a wireframe view of the plant. "There are being major structural weaknesses here and here," Antoine said pointing. "A small team will be bombing the east side to draw the guards away from the west wall. With having any luck the east team will join up with the west team. If not, then retreat safely to the rendezvous point."

Nicole shifted again to an internal view of the plant. "Once inside we will hit the main generator which will cause the entire to plant to go, how do you say, boom," he finished and everyone chuckled.

"We've finished the R-Wave Neutralizer as well," Rotor chipped in, holding up an almost transparent ear piece. "It simply filters out regular sound waves from harmful ones above a certain frequency. Keep in mind the lower you set the frequency the less you'll be able to hear."

"How long will one of those things last?" Bunnie asked.

"It can stand up to almost thirty consecutive shots before shorting out," Rotor explained. "Hopefully we don't have to take anywhere near that."

"It's still a good thing to know," Tails said, almost twitching in anticipation.

Sally sighed and shook her head. "Tails, if I've told you once I've told you a dozen times already," she said. "You're not going. This mission is far more dangerous than anything we've previously run. I know you want to help but we have to be extremely careful right now, especially since we don't have Sonic to get us out of there if something goes wrong." The young fox slumped in his chair frowning. He remembered what Sonic had told him awhile back but it didn't mean he had to like it. "We need to split into teams of two," Sally continued. "Bunnie, Antoine, can you two take the east wall?" The two of them nodded in agreement. "Rotor, you and I can handle the west wall."

Rotor threw his hands up in protest. "Sorry, Sal," he apologized, "but making stuff is my department. I'll only be a burden on the mission."

Sally frowned. Dulcy was too big to make it in the factory and if she ran distraction it would cause too big of a ruckus. Tails straightened up in his seat excitedly as Sally's gaze ran over him. "Alright Tails, you can go," she said sighing. "Without Sonic here we really don't have much of a choice."

"A pity he's not here," a male voice said by the door.

Everyone turned to face the figure leaning against the hut wall. He wasn't much taller than them but all his other features were covered by his robe and hood. He wore white gloves and red sneakers with a white stripe across them like a certain hedgehog they all knew. Sally stared at him. He hadn't been there a second ago and the door had never opened in that time either.

"Who are you, how did you get in here, and why are you here?" she asked immediately. The figure chuckled lightly and stood up straight.

"Cutting straight to the chase, I see," he said. "Alright, just for fun I'll answer your questions in order. One, I'm hurt that you don't remember me, especially you, Princess. Two, I have my ways and I'll leave it at that. Three, I'm here to offer my help. I can do things that most Mobians would find impossible and may be your best chance at beating the fat man."

They pondered his answers, mainly the first one. He had only really answered one question. Sally glared at him. "I would suggest being more specific," she warned him. "No offense, but when strangers mysteriously show up in our village we don't take it lightly, especially when they won't answer a few simple questions."

The figure winced and shook his head. "Man, you guys just don't get it do you?" he said. "Maybe this will help." He lowered his hood and the Freedom Fighters stared in absolute shock.

"Sonic!" Tails said launching himself out of his chair. Sonic caught the fox and hugged him laughing. He let go and messed up Tails' hair. Tails was so excited that it didn't even bother him.

"Sonic!" Antoine said in complete shock. "When are you to be getting back?"

"Just made it back actually," Sonic answered still smiling. "I'm done travelling and like I said I've got something that will put the fat man down for good."

"Sugarhog, that's the best news we've gotten in ages!" Bunnie said hugging him. "Ah have to say, Ah figured you woulda done something about that look of yours."

Sonic chuckled. In the last six months his appearance had barely changed. The only things that they could see had changes were his longer quills and the color of his eyes. Grey eyes with a strange swirl replaced his once black eyes. From what they could see he was more muscular but the cloak covered most of his body. Antoine walked up to Sonic and extended his hand. Sonic smiled and grasped his hand and shook it.

"It is good to be having you back, True Blue," Antoine said.

"It's good to be back, Ant," Sonic said. As he walked toward the stage Rotor gave him a high five and smiled.

"Good to see you Sonic," he said.

Sonic stepped up to the stage to face Sally whose eyes were closed. No one said anything. Finally Sally broke the silence looking at Sonic. "Sonic," she said seriously, "can I talk to you in my hut?"

"I'm back for five minutes and I'm already in trouble," he muttered scratching his head. "Some things really don't change. Lead the way, Sal."

As they walked out the others just stared at them. Walking past Antoine and Bunnie they both drew a finger across their throats. Sonic shot them a look though he couldn't help but agree with them. They walked to Sally's hut as the other villagers came out to see the return of their leader. Many of them shook his hand, others simply smiled. Sonic made sure to stay close behind Sally. They walked into her hut and she closed then locked her door. She covered up her window and closed it as well. She then pulled out Nicole and opened her up.

"Nicole, play recording 'Absolutely Irresponsible'," she said quietly. Sonic arched an eyebrow still trying to figure out what she was trying to do.

"Beginning playback, Sally," Nicole said and beeped a couple times.

"What were you thinking, Sonic Hedgehog?!" Sally's voice yelled from Nicole. "That was totally irresponsible, reckless, not to mention dangerous. How could you be so..."

"You actually kept that," Sonic mused as the recording continued. Sally walked up to him, grabbed him by the back of his neck and kissed him passionately. Sonic returned the kiss fully and pulled her closer to him. They stayed like that while the recording continued on for almost five minutes. Once it stopped they parted and just looked at each other smiling.

"And I'm glad you're back okay," she said in time with the recording.

They both turned to the window as they heard a collective "Aww". They could hear the villagers shuffling away and Sonic finally realized why she had put the recording on. "You wanted to make them think you were chewing me out rather than kissing me," he said smirking. "Color me impressed." Rather than answering him she kissed him again. She laid her head on his shoulder and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm glad to have you back," she said softly. "I never stopped believing you'd come back to us."

"Like I told you when I left," he replied caressing her cheek, "I've never broken a promise. Especially not to you."

She stood there just listening to him breathe. After a few moments she looked up at him. "Thank you for the birthday present," she said smiling. "You're going to have to tell me how you got that picture from my father, considering he's still in the Void with Naugus."

Sonic frowned. "Sal, about your father," he explained. "After we take out Robotnik's factory we need to go see him."

Sally backed away from him a look of concern on her face. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "Is he okay? How do you know?"

"Naugus is dying," Sonic answered simply. "Once he dies your father will be trapped in the Void for the rest of his life. His last request to me was to see you before that."

"We need to put this mission on hold then," she said trying to leave. "We don't know how much longer we have."

Sonic held onto her. "He warned me you might try something like this," he explained. "Sally, he doesn't want you to put your own needs above Mobius'. Like I said, Naugus is dying but we still have some time. Let's stop Robotnik and go see him, okay?" Sally wanted to argue with him. Her father's life was important to Mobius, wasn't it? She tried voicing an argument to Sonic but sighed, giving in. He was right. A tear ran down her cheek and he wiped it away.

"We'll find a way to get him out," he told her gently holding her chin so she'd look at him. "One day we'll find out how to free your father from the grasp of the Void once and for all."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He kissed her again and pulled her close to him.

"We should probably get back to the War Room," Sally said letting go of him. "Otherwise they may start asking questions."


	15. Teacher and Student, Reunited

Sonic followed Sally back to the War Room where the other Freedom Fighters were waiting for them. They had opened the window so Dulcy could listen in even if she wasn't going.

"What took you two so long?" Tails asked, cocking his head to the side. "We could hear you chewing him out all the way over here, Aunt Sally. Anyway, what was so important that the two of you had to go off alone to discuss?"

"That's, uh, something to talk about later," Sally answered, heading up to the stage. "Right now we have to worry about the mission ahead. Sonic, how up to speed are you?"

"Ahead of you guys," he answered. "The information about it being two weeks before the factory completes the new weapon is a load of bunk. Robotnik leaked the information to draw us into a trap." The Freedom Fighters whispered among each other at the new information. "His plan was twofold; trap us and use the information to find Uncle Chuck."

"Wait, this thing is finished?" Sally asked. "Do you have any idea what it is?"

Sonic shook his head. "Not a clue," he admitted. "All I know is that if it can distract Robotnik this much we're in a lot of trouble if he gets his meaty mitts on it."

"When is our window of opportunity?" Antoine asked.

"Now."

They all were taken aback. "Now? Isn't that a little short notice, sugarhog?" Bunnie asked.

"Normally, yes," he replied, "but I have a way to get a team to Robotropolis quickly without creating a scene either. We have to leave now though."

"Can I go, Sonic?" Tails asked, almost pleading.

Sonic shook his head. "Sorry buddy, not this time," he said sternly. "We need someone capable to stay and make sure that Robotnik doesn't decide to dispatch his stealth bots at us again." Tails nodded, happy to have an important job. Sonic looked around. "Anyone else hanging back?"

"I'll stay with Tails," Rotor offered. "Two's better than one on lookout."

Sonic nodded and closed his eyes. A wind picked up inside the hut and he, Sally, Dulcy, Antoine, and Bunnie vanished. Tails and Rotor just watched in amazement.

"I didn't know he could do that," Tails said.

"Same here," Rotor added. "C'mon Tails. I just got the new radar system installed and you can be the first to have a crack at it."

"Awesome!" the young fox exclaimed, following him out.

When they reappeared they were on the northern outskirts of Robotropolis. They leaned on each other for support still dizzy from the trip. "A little warning next time ma," Dulcy said her eyes spinning. She shook her head and looked at Sonic. "Wow, that was intense. What was that?"

"Long story short I just used the wind to move us," he answered looking around. His eyes widened briefly and then he sighed. "Why is she here?" he muttered.

"She?" Sally said, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"A girl I saved when I was traveling," he explained quickly. "C'mon, this way."

They ran into the city and Sonic continued to scan the area around him. He had felt her presence but he couldn't find her anywhere. They stopped when they reached Uncle Chuck's base. Sonic looked around and then off to his right he spotted a small tornado and heard the crashing of SWATbots. He jumped up onto the pile and sighed.

"Who exactly is this Sonic?" Antoine asked. "An ally?"

"Something like that," Sonic said watching the spectacle. "Like I said, I saved her when I was traveling and helped rebuild her town after a SWATbot attack. Afterwards, she took a shine to me."

"Define shine," Sally said, the jealousy still there.

Sonic was about to answer when a pink blur tackled him yelling, "Sonic!" They crashed into the ground and the Freedom Fighters just stared as a pink hedgehog dressed in red with a matching hair band hugged Sonic as tight as possible. Strapped to her back was a large gold and red hammer. She was latched so tightly to Sonic one would think she was trying to strangle him.

"Good to see you too, Amy," Sonic said coughing. He stood up and the hedgehog crawled to his back and popped her head over his right shoulder. "Everyone, meet Amy Rose," he said sticking his thumb at her.

"Hi everyone," she said happily waving. "I'm Amy and this is my boyfriend Sonic!"

Anger and jealousy flashed through Sally's eyes. "Mind explaining this one Sonic?" she asked.

Sonic sighed and looked at Amy. "For the last time, Amy," he said exasperated, "I'm not your boyfriend."

"But you saved my life," she pouted.

"That doesn't make me your boyfriend."

"Why not?"

"Because it takes more than that."

"I still don't get it."

Sonic rubbed his temples. "We really don't have time for this, Amy," he muttered. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to impress you," she answered. "That and...I just found out that my parents were captured. I didn't know how to get a hold of you so I came here on my own."

"That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do," Dr. Osaka said stepping out of Uncle Chuck's hideout.

He and Sonic locked stares, his violet eyes against Sonic's gray. Sally could tell there was something going on between these two and it didn't seem good.

"It's good to see you again, Sonic," Dr. Osaka said finally.

Sonic glared at him for a moment before his stare softened. "The same to you, doc," he replied. Sally could tell there was something wrong between the two of them that hadn't been there before. Uncle Chuck came out next and Sonic's stance relaxed even more.

"Glad to see you in one piece, sonny," the metal hedgehog said, hugging his nephew. He then held him at arm's length as he looked him over. "You look good. Laying off the chili dogs has done you some good."

"And it's good to see you're still up to no good, unc," he said. "How's old blubber butt doing?"

"More 'no good' than me," the elderly hedgehog said, glancing back towards Dr. Osaka. It was then the two of them noticed Amy hanging from Sonic's shoulder. "Umm, Sonic...There's someone on your shoulder."

Sonic closed his eyes and sighed. "I noticed, unc," he said dejectedly as he massaged his temples. "Uncle Chuck, doc, this is Amy Rose."

"Rose?" Dr. Osaka asked. "You can't mean..."

Amy nodded. "My dad used to be a scientist for the Acorn family," she told them. "He left before the coup and met my mom at Beechwood. Then they had yours truly." Sonic grumbled something under his breath that no one could make out but Amy still laughed. She pinched his cheek and tugged it back and forth. "Aw Sonic, you're so cute!" she said giggling.

"Any idea what your father was working on Amy?" Sally asked holding her temper back. She had just met the girl and wanted to hurt her for clinging to Sonic like that.

Amy stared at Sally and glared. Then her expression softened and she shrugged. "Umm, he said something about really tiny machines," she said.

"Nanomachines," Uncle Chuck said nodding. "Now that you bring it up I do remember working with Dr. Rose. He had finally completed the first batch of nanobots and then he just up and left the kingdom. I can only assume the King knew since he never made an attempt to go after him."

"This is all so very interesting, but I'm getting bored," a voice boomed over all of them.

They turned to the source and saw a tall blonde human standing on the tallest of the junk piles with his claymore resting on his shoulder. Sonic smiled upon seeing the human.

"Well well, Daryl," he said. "Long time no see."

Daryl Kintobor returned the smile. "Indeed, Sonic," he replied. "It seems just like yesterday you accepted my offer. Now the student will fall before the master, just as it should be."

"If you insist," Sonic answered.

"I had to see it to believe it," Dr. Osaka said as he looked up at him. "How could you work for the monster that is trying to destroy this world? Did you so easily forget that he's the one that killed you?"

"Dr. Adrian Osaka," Daryl said, "it's been a long time. The only reason Robotnik hunted me down was because he didn't know what side I was on. Once I promised to help him he made me better. I'm stronger and faster than I've ever been! What's not to like about that?"

"He really screwed your memory up, didn't he?," Sonic asked. Now all eyes were on him. "We had been training for about two months when Buttnik's SWATbots captured him," he explained. "I attempted a rescue when I heard them reporting about a 'Priority Two' being captured. I hung around and found out that not only was Robotnik's son almost as much of a thorn in the side as me, but that Robotnik wanted him captured so he could be reprogrammed. This is what you've become, nothing but a puppet."


	16. Fire & Wind

Daryl was quiet. "Maybe so," he said finally, "but nonetheless I will not abandon my family." He swung his claymore and jabbed the point into the ground. "Enough talk! Are we going to finish this fight Sonic or should I just cut you down like I should have from the start? And maybe once I'm done with you I'll take care of your friends." With that the corners of his mouth turned up in a sadistic smile.

"Amy, get down," Sonic said, his voice cold and hard. She went to protest until she saw the hard glint in his eye. She shuddered and dropped from his shoulder. She then ran over to Dulcy and hid behind her leg. Sonic undid the cloak to reveal a solid black karate gi and matching pants with two swords on his hip. Dr. Osaka recognized the sword he had given Sonic but not the second. Sonic drew one of the swords and touched the tip to the ground. The blade began to glow with a mesmerizing light as he stared down Daryl. "Every time that we've fought you came out on top," Sonic admitted. "That changes today. I won't let you lay a finger on my friends."

Daryl pulled his sword out of the ground and charged Sonic. When he was just a few feet away Sonic made an upward slash from the ground kicking up dirt and dust into Daryl's eyes. The human backed away blinded and coughing. Sonic lunged and slashed through his shoulder drawing up a spray of blood. The human stared behind him and swung his sword as if the blow hadn't even hurt. Sonic blocked, using his free hand to support his sword and push away Daryl's blade. Their blades parted and the two continued to parry and block each other's blows. The Freedom Fighters just watched in amazement.

"Where did Sonic learn to fight like that?" Sally asked as he scored another cut on Daryl's chest.

"I've never seen anything like it," Dr. Osaka commented, crossing his arms across his chest. "It's nothing like Daryl's or his father's."

"It is...incredible," Antoine said awestruck. The two combatants clashed with such force that the air rippled in response.

"Ah'd have to agree there, Antoine," Bunnie said. "Sugarhog is somethin' else right now."

Daryl swung, missing Sonic completely. He had jumped into the air landing lightly on Daryl's sword and did a backflip kick, connecting with Daryl's chin and lifting him into the air. Sonic landed and lowered himself into a fighting position.

"Torrentem Flamma (Tunnel of Flame)!" Daryl yelled in midflight. A massive torrent of flame shot from his hand and hit Sonic square in the chest. The wave pushed Sonic into a nearby building. The side of the structure exploded, sending flaming shrapnel flying. When the smoke subsided they could see rivulets of blood running down the side of Sonic's face and he was panting.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Sonic yelled.

"Then try this!" Daryl replied rearing back and slamming his sword into the ground. The force sent a small wave towards Sonic who made no attempt to move. He smiled as the wave moved closer. Without warning the wave slammed into an invisible wall and left Sonic unscathed.

"Like I said," Sonic said lunging, "you'll have to do better than that!" He swung his sword down and Daryl managed to sidestep the attack. Before the human could mock or attack Sonic grabbed his sheath and hit him across the head with it. The blow threw Daryl back dazed and vulnerable.

"That was a bit of cheap shot," Dulcy said scratching her temple.

"In a fight like this, there are no rules," Dr. Osaka replied pushing his glasses up, "though I understand how you feel. It is important in a fight like this to take advantage of your opponent's weaknesses and to exploit them."

"So why didn't my nephew just finish the fight from the first blow when Daryl was blinded?" Uncle Chuck asked.

Another shockwave tore through the air causing everyone to flinch except Dr. Osaka who just smiled. "Now where would the fun be in that?" he said quietly.

Sonic landed on a junk pile and wiped away the blood running into his eye. Daryl had managed to score a light hit on his left shoulder but it was nothing serious. Even as an android he should still feel pain yet none of Sonic's blows seemed to be having any effect on him. Instead, with every blow he just laughed and lashed out even fiercer.

_Looks like I'll get to see if all my time training was really worth it,_ Sonic thought. He lowered his blade behind him touching the tip to the ground. Daryl charged at him again as a wind began to encircle Sonic's blade. "Blades of Wind!" he yelled swinging the blade upward. A swirling column of wind shot from the blade and caught Daryl on his sword arm, cutting it in dozens of places. He stopped his charge wide eyed.

"That technique..." he said. "Where did you learn it?"

"Like I'd tell you!" Sonic said, clawing downward. Four small spears of air lashed out at Daryl and tore into his chest throwing the human back.

"Incredible," Dr. Osaka said as the two charged each other and locked blades again. "I've never seen such prowess and strength."

"It's scary," Amy said still shaking. "That's not the same Sonic that saved my village. It's like he's a totally different person."

Sally was about to disagree but remembered the look in Sonic's eyes at the beginning of the fight. He did seem different, almost like he wasn't the same animal that she had grown up with. She flinched as Daryl hit Sonic with the flat of his blade on his cheek tossing him into a junk pile. Daryl struck the ground with his sword to create another wave, this time hitting Sonic and causing an eruption of shrapnel. When the smoke cleared they could see Sonic holding his right shoulder with blood seeping between his fingers. Daryl charged at him again letting loose a loud battle cry. Sonic quickly knelt down and drew a large circle in the dirt with his fingers then jumped back.

"Tatsumaki (Whirlwind)!" he yelled as Daryl passed over the circle. With a bright flash the area in and around the circle were consumed by a small tornado that picked him up with other nearby debris. Sonic then slammed his palm into the ground and the twister pressed into the ground. They all heard a loud "crack" followed by a scream of pain. Daryl stood up his left arm hanging uselessly at his side. "I thought you might like that," he taunted with a smirk.

Daryl snarled and ran at Sonic again. When their blades met he smiled. "I have my own surprises too," he whispered.

His blade was suddenly engulfed in flames. "Eruption Blade," he said and pressed into Sonic. Sonic could feel the ground beneath him melting under the intense heat. He couldn't use a wind attack for fear of fanning the flames, but there was one he could try... Daryl kept pushing Sonic down to his breaking point. If he pushed a little harder the hedgehog would fall into a small river of molten rock and metal.

"Tōketsu (Freeze)," Sonic said, closing his eyes. A cold breeze surrounded them and instantly cooled the molten material. Sonic fell onto his back and planted both feet in Daryl's gut. He used the human's momentum to throw him over and skidding across the ground. Sonic leapt and spun to face where he had thrown Daryl. The human stood up with eyes flashing in anger. He attacked again and Sonic simply blocked each attack thrown at him. Daryl had given up on any sort of style and was simply attacking out of instinct and adrenaline. His blows were getting stronger, but with only one arm how? They locked blades and the anger was replaced by a sinister smile.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked blood running down both sides of his face. "You seem scared. Am I too much for you to handle?"

"It's not that," Sonic said through gritted teeth. "I just hope you enjoy this next attack as much as I do." Sonic pressed his free hand to the back of his sword gently and Daryl's eyes widened.

"Blades of Wind."

The area around them exploded, taking both metal and ground with it. Sonic watched as a massive blade of wind crashed into Daryl spraying blood into the air.

The others struggled to hold their ground as the attack threw out powerful winds towards them. Dr. Osaka watched in amazement. At his age even Sonic's father hadn't been this good. Sonic was faster and stronger than he had ever seen him or his father. A dark musing crossed his mind as he watched Sonic fight. Something that he had been told ages ago. Dr. Osaka shook his head and focused on the fight again. The dust finally settled, revealing Daryl covered in his own blood. Sonic was breathing hard and looked like he was having a hard time standing.

"How the hell did you get so strong?" Daryl asked in a pained voice. "You were only gone for two months!"

"There are some things that you'll never understand," Sonic answered clutching his bloody shoulder again. "You can't beat me now, no matter how strong you are."

"We'll see about that!" Daryl growled charging Sonic once more. He swung with ferocity that Sonic had never seen. Each blow threw him back when blocked making it impossible to counterattack. Sonic ducked as Daryl's blade cut into the wall of a warehouse, leaving a massive gash. Before he could dodge Daryl kicked Sonic in the chest, pinning him to the wall. He cried out in pain as his ribs cracked under the strain. Daryl smiled, resting the sword on his shoulder and pressing two fingers to Sonic's forehead.

"Praeuro (Scorch)."


	17. Guardian

The Freedom Fighters watched as Sonic was engulfed in an orange blaze, taking a large portion of the warehouse with him. "Duck!" Dulcy yelled pushing them all down as the debris bounced harmlessly off her hide. As they stood back up something sharp embedded itself in the wall right next to Antoine's head. He let out a girlish scream and hopped into Bunnie's arms who only laughed.

"Don't worry sugar-'Twan," she said smiling. "It's only sugarhog's...sword..." Her voice trailed off as they all stared in shock. Daryl watched as Sonic tried pulling himself out of the crater the blast had formed. His sword was gone and he was covered in dried blood and burns on most of his body. Sonic had one arm pressed against his ribs, trying to stymie some of the pain.

"You don't seem so tough now," Daryl said with a smug smile.

"Bite...me," Sonic said through gritted teeth. "If you think that's enough to kill me then you have another thing coming."

"Then draw that sword of yours and use it to cut me down," Daryl suggested tapping his sword against his shoulder.

"I refuse."

Daryl smirked. "Then you'll die without much of a struggle," he said swinging his sword to point at Sonic. The blade was wrapped in flame again as he charged at his former apprentice. Just before the blade could run Sonic through it stopped. Daryl growled and pushed as hard as he could but the blade would not move.

"I don't plan on dying yet," he said with a cocky smile. "You haven't seen everything that I can do yet and I've been itching to try this out." The dirt at Sonic's feet began to spin, faster and faster until he was engulfed by a whirlwind. Behind the curtain of wind Sonic closed his eyes and pictured the world that he had been shown: A verdant field on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was here that he had first been taken to so he could be shown his new powers. He looked towards the tree line to see a large steel-gray dragon sleeping peacefully. As he approached the dragon its eyes opened and stared directly at Sonic.

"So, the time has come," it said, its voice booming. The beast stood up, spreading its wings and letting out an earth-shattering roar.

The Freedom Fighters were silent as a roar ripped through Robotropolis. "W-w-what was t-that?" Amy asked first shivering.

"That sounded like...a dragon," Dulcy said staring at the column of wind. "But that would mean..."

"That was not a dragon," Dr. Osaka interrupted as all eyes turned to him. "That was the awakening call of a Guardian. It looks like Sonic still has a few tricks up his sleeve."

Daryl watched as the whirlwind subsided, exposing a grey hedgehog. His quills were longer than Sonic's, nearly reaching the ground. His muscles were more defined and the look in his eyes belonged to that of an ancient being, not a teenage Mobian. "Not bad," the human commented eventually. "That's not something that I could've predicted you'd do. But tell me Sonic, what good will changing the color of your quills do you when I'm just going to burn them off?" Daryl's blade once more burst into flame and he swung for Sonic's head.

The blade struck the warehouse wall with enough force to rip the wall open. Bewildered, Daryl turned around to see Sonic's foot connect to his face and send him crashing into the wall. He then let loose a barrage of kicks and punches that Daryl couldn't see but could barely feel.

"As always you're strikes are fast but weak," he said smiling. "Try this!" He swung again and again, pulling out from the wall to attack. Sonic sidestepped his attacks with ease. As far as Daryl could see it was like Sonic was bored or just trying to warm up. He swung for Sonic's head again only to have the hedgehog jump onto the blade and vault over him. By the time he had turned around Sonic had formed a fist with a ball of wind spinning around it.

"How's this for fast and weak?" Sonic asked glaring at Daryl. His voice was deeper with a hard edge to it. The human went to block but Sonic's fist hit with such force that it shattered the claymore and sent Daryl spinning across the ground, ripping through scrap piles and walls with ease.

Sonic rolled his joints, trying to get a feel for the new form. Sylvanix had said that it would feel strange the first time and he hadn't been kidding. Watching Daryl fight had been boring for the first time in six months; his moves were just so incredibly slow. Most of them he could have easily blocked with his bare hands but working out stiff joints seemed to be the better idea.

[Be careful, Sonic,], Sylvanix said in his mind. [Just because you're faster and stronger doesn't mean you're invincible.]

_You keep telling me that_, Sonic replied slightly annoyed, _yet you were the one who kept pestering me to do this_.

[And you're the one who didn't listen when I told you that you can't maintain this form for too long, not without serious consequences,] he retorted. [If you act now you could take him down but-]

_No_, Sonic said clenching his fist. _I'm not killing him. I don't care what you or anyone else says. There has to be a way to save him, to bring him to our side_.

[Idiot,] Sylvanix muttered and then fell silent. Sonic knew what he was trying to say: that he most likely wouldn't be left with a choice. That didn't mean he had to like it or that he couldn't try to find another way. Robotnik's brainwashing ran deep but he was hoping that if he inflicted enough physical damage it would cause errors in the reprogramming. Off in the distance he could hear Daryl pulling himself up with a spattering of curses. Sonic walked towards him, trying to give his regeneration time to heal some of his more serious wounds. His ribs were still broken, that he had no doubt about. But his smaller wounds had stopped bleeding or were altogether gone while the larger ones were slowly closing. Daryl tried to stand unsuccessfully several times. His instinct was telling him to retreat and deal with his wounds but something stronger was keeping him here. All he could think about was stopping the hedgehog no matter the cost to himself. As he finally managed to stand he glared at Sonic who was slowly approaching him.

"Damn you, rodent," he growled through bared teeth. "Why must you always get in the way?"

"How could you do this to your own son, Robotnik?" Sonic replied angrily. "I thought you were a monster before but this is going too far, even for you." His eyes softened as he stared at the blonde human. "Daryl, there must be some part of you that's still in there," he pleaded. "You've got to fight him. He doesn't control you and he never has. Everything that you've done was to fight him. You can't let that fatass father of yours win!"

"You still don't get it do you, hedgehog?" Daryl said with a sadistic smile. "I'm doing this because this is what I planned all along. Whatever made you think I was ever fighting against Robotnik?"

"Just because he's your father doesn't mean you're anything like him!" Sonic yelled as he charged. He planted his knee in Daryl's gut, causing the human to cough up blood. Sonic then slammed his head into the ground, forming cracks where Daryl hit. "Wake up you freaking idiot!" He jumped back as Daryl slowly stood up, his face bloody and swollen.

"Please, Sonic," he begged softly, catching his former student off-guard, "finish me off while I'm still me. I was able to push back my father's orders for a little bit but I can't fight like this for long. One way or another I'm going to die here. I would rather it be while I have control over my own fate."

"I won't do that," Sonic said clenching his fist and eyes. "I won't kill another living being. I refuse!"

"If you don't then Robotnik will make me kill you and your friends. I don't want that to happen. Please, I beg of you. Grant me the mercy of an honorable death." As he said this his hand was reaching for a pile of scrap. "Even now his control is coming over me again. If I heal myself, willingly or not, he will exert his control over me for good." The scrap began to glow and melt as it fused with Daryl's arm, slowly working its way across his body. Where the light touched his wounds healed and the light even began to repair his claymore. "I'm begging you, Sonic. I would rather die..." The light consumed his head and when Sonic could see him again the sadistic smile was back. "I would rather die than watch you and your friends walk away free." Sonic closed his eyes, letting his Guardian form fade away. A single tear fell from his eye as he placed his hand on the second katana.

"Please forgive me, Daryl," he whispered as he dropped into a fighting pose. "I will do as you request." Daryl's eyes flashed and he charged Sonic with the intent to kill.

"How did he do that?" Sally asked the first to do so in quite a while. "How was he able to heal himself like that?"

"I'm afraid that Robotnik may have found a cache of nanomachines," Uncle Chuck said scratching his chin. "I've been worried that this might happen but I wasn't sure where Dr. Rose had hidden them. Maybe that's why he captured him."

Amy hung her head. "Then that means that he would have roboticized him and mom," she said as tears formed in her eyes. Bunnie went to comfort her when she heard a cry of pain from Daryl. She turned to see three wounds on the human; one at his chest and one on each of his shoulders.

"That is not being possible," Antoine said in shock. "I am only seeing a single strike."

"He struck three vital points...simultaneously?" Dr. Osaka wondered his eyes wide in shock. "You are right, Antoine. That shouldn't be possible."


	18. A New Sonic

"How...the hell did you...do that?" Daryl asked, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. Sonic sheathed the sword and turned to look at the human.

"Haven't you heard?" he replied with a cocky smile. "I'm the fastest thing alive. Only fitting I have a sword style to match. Besides, I only hit three vital points. My sensei could hit nine all at once."

"Damn you," Daryl spat, glancing behind him. The Freedom Fighters were standing in shock, open to any attack that might be thrown their way. But Sonic was too fast to let that happen. "I'll rip you apart and then I'm going to take my time killing them. Or maybe it would be more fun to almost kill you and make you watch as they all suffer. I'm sure the Princess would put on an interesting show." Sonic's eyes hardened.

"Over my dead body." Daryl smiled.

"Now that's more like it," he said, absorbing another pile of scrap. He held the claymore and tapped the blade. The blade darkened to pitch black as flames wrapped around it. "Tell you what, why don't I make this interesting. See this blade now?" He swung the blade around to rest on his shoulder. "This next attack should prove rather fun. If you attack me and miss, this blade will rend you to pieces. If you manage to hit and kill me it will cause a backlash, blowing your friends to kingdom-come." Sonic grimaced. He knew what Daryl was trying to do. If Sonic was willing to die, then the others could escape. But if he tried to honor Daryl's true wish then his friends would no doubt die.

"Damn you, Robotnik," Sonic whispered. Aloud he said, "Fine. But don't get your hopes up. I won't let Robotnik win, one way or the other."

They stared each other down for what seemed hours until Daryl stepped first, bringing the claymore behind him. Sonic stepped off without using his super speed leaving his own sword sheathed. The Freedom Fighters watched as the two of them crossed. At some point Sonic had drawn his sword while Daryl's was raised above his head. The flames from his sword died out as it split in two again and clamored to the ground.

"Not...bad," Daryl said quietly. "I knew...you could do it...kid. Thank y-" His words were interrupted as his torso exploded in a flash of blood and he fell to the ground. Sonic sheathed the sword not watching as Daryl's body began to glow. A small ribbon of energy connected the two combatants for a second before vanishing. Just as Sonic turned to his friends Daryl's body erupted in an explosion, throwing Sonic past the Freedom Fighters and into a wall face-first. The others just stared as the wall began to creak and fell onto Sonic. The Freedom Fighters rushed over and began lifting the slab up. Sonic was on his back, stars circling his head.

"That's the last time I pull that," he muttered as he sat up and shook his head.

He was then bombarded with questions, hugs, and bewildered looks. Both Amy and Sally had tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. "If you weren't already hurt I'd be trying to beat the daylights out of you," Sally said wiping away a tear.

"Are you okay Sonic?" Amy asked, trying to talk over Sally. "You aren't hurt too badly are you?"

He held his head and blinked repeatedly. "Soon as I get the number of the bus that hit me," he muttered, shaking his head. "Wow, did not see that coming."

The others laughed, glad that he was okay. Dr. Osaka pulled Sonic into a hug only stopping when he heard Sonic's groans of pain. "Sorry," he apologized. "I imagine those broken ribs still hurt. But I have to ask; where did you learn to do that?"

"What do you mean, doctor?" Sally asked.

"You were able to hit three vital points on Daryl in a single swing," Dr. Osaka explained backing away from Sonic. "It is a physical impossibility, even for you, Sonic."

"Considering the hell that my sensei put me through it's no surprise that..." Sonic stopped talking and was silent for a moment. He frowned and muttered, "Damn, I think Robotnik just beat us to the punch." They were all quiet as they listened. They heard a loud noise building up and then suddenly die off. It was the sound of a factory shutting down after its production was complete. They all looked at each other nervously.

"Everyone get on!" Dulcy called them and lowered her back. Sonic grabbed his father's sword from the wall and sheathed it. They piled onto her back and she spread her wings. "Hang on, I'm gonna crack the whip!" She snapped her tail and they took off at top speed.

Just outside the factory Robotnik, Snively, and the new bot walked out the doors of the now shut down plant. Robotnik stared off to the north.

"What do you suppose all that noise was, Snively?" he asked his lackey.

Snively looked at the datapad he was holding. "It seems that the hedgehog has defeated Daryl, sir," he said. "The surveillance cameras were tossed around most of the time so I don't know if the hedgehog survived."

Robotnik bared his teeth. "Knowing that hedgehog he's alive just to spite me," he growled. "What kind of damage are we looking at?"

"The damage is focused in the northern part of the city," his nephew said tapping the screen. "The only damage done is to a few warehouses. I was unable to get footage from the EyeSpys. Something must have been interfering."

"Want me to take care of it?" the bot asked.

"No," Robotnik said smiling. "Knowing those Freedom Fighters they'll come right to us."

Sonic looked down off of Dulcy's back. He couldn't see much from up here. That's when he spotted the files of SWATbots and Robotnik's large round form. There was Snively with his pointy nose buried in some datapad, and the figure next to him...

Sonic shook his head. "What on Mobius is that?" he asked still staring.

"If Ah didn't know better, sugarhog," Bunnie said looking as well, "Ah'd say that was you."

Sonic looked at Sally. "Am I sitting here or am I imagining things?" he asked her.

Sally smiled. "You're here," she answered as her hand brushed his. "I'm not sure what Robotnik has planned but let's crash this party."

"Let us do it to it!" Antoine yelled leaping from Dulcy's back.

Sonic frowned as the rest of them followed him. "That's my line," he muttered and jumped off.

They landed in front of Robotnik and Snively, stopping them in their tracks. Robotnik smiled. "Long time no see rodent," he said opening his arms in a welcoming manner. "I've quite missed you these past months."

"Excuse me if the feeling isn't mutual," Sonic retorted. "But don't worry; I plan on making up for it by putting you away for good."

Robotnik's smile widened and turned sinister. "I'm afraid the only one who's getting 'put away'," he said, "is you, hedgehog." He motioned to the Freedom Fighters in a grandiose manner. "Wretched Freedom Fighters, allow me to introduce my greatest creation. Presenting, Nano Sonic!"

A perfect copy of Sonic as he had once been stepped up from behind Robotnik with a wicked grin on his face. "Hey partner," he said looking at Sonic. "Nice to finally meet ya'."

"What is this?" Sonic snarled. "This must be some sick joke, too low even for you, Robuttnik."

"Oh it's no joke," Nano Sonic said putting his hand on Sonic's shoulder. "I'm real, and let me prove it." He pulled Sonic towards him and buried his knee into his ribs. Sonic's eyes widened and he backed away coughing in pain.

"I've got this one, Sonic," Dr. Osaka said, his fists surrounded in a violet hue.

Nano Sonic's eyes narrowed. "Bring it on, old timer," he taunted raising his leg to kick Dr. Osaka. "You can't hurt me."

"Let's see about that shall we?" the lynx taunted back and grabbed Nano Sonic's foot. At his touch the leg began to decay and fall apart. Nano Sonic's eyes widened in fear and pain.

"What have you done to me?" he yelled trying to back away.

"It won't matter in a few seconds," Dr. Osaka answered driving his other hand into Nano Sonic's chest. He felt his hand come in contact with the main control cluster and smiled. "It's over."

Nano Sonic brought his arm back and right hooked Dr. Osaka in the head. The blow threw him back a couple feet next to Sonic. Nano Sonic stumbled around, his eyes flickering. The hole in his chest was sparking and squirming as it tried to regenerate itself.

"All SWATbots, open fire!" Robotnik yelled jabbing his fingers towards the Freedom Fighters. "Turn them into ash!"


	19. Returning Home

"No time for a graceful retreat," Dr. Osaka said, drawing three symbols into the dirt. They began to glow and all the Freedom Fighters vanished in a flash of light. A second later laser fire engulfed the area where they had been. Realizing their targets were gone the SWATbots stopped firing and returned to their files. Snively knelt over Nano Sonic, inspecting the damage the lynx had done. Before he could finish Robotnik grabbed by his shirt collar and lifted him to eye level.

"Well, Snively?" Robotnik asked his teeth bared and eyes glowing.

"The damage isn't permanent," Snively whimpered. "Give me a week and I can have him good as new."

Robotnik dropped him still furious. "You had better Snively," he warned. "If not, I will do the same to you." With that he stormed away.

"We'll see about that," Snively grumbled and turned back to Nano Sonic. "Damage report."

Nano Sonic's eyes flickered back on. "Main...system critical," he sputtered. "All...motor functions...disabled. Beginning...data backup."

"Good," Snively said sighing. That had been too close. "What was that last attack?"

"Energy...unknown," Nano Sonic answered.

"Unknown?" Snively muttered. "That's not good at all. So be it, power down and await reactivation. We'll have to wait to put our plan into action."

"Aff...irmative," Nano Sonic said closing his eyes.

Snively looked at the SWATbots. "Take him back to the factory and get him back in the tube," he ordered. "I've got some other things to take care of."

"AS YOU COMMAND," they droned and picked up Nano Sonic. As they carried him away Snively smiled.

"This is going to be very interesting," he said laughing.

The Freedom Fighters and Amy reappeared just outside Dr. Osaka's hut in a large pile. They all rolled off Dulcy, who was thankfully on the bottom, and stood up slowly.

"Twice in one day," Bunnie said wobbling. "Man, this is too much."

"Agreed, mademoiselle," Antoine said balancing himself on her.

"I'm okay ma, really," Dulcy said dizzily. "What is it with you guys and that teleporting junk? I've said it twice now, warn me next time you do that!"

"Sorry, Dulcy," Dr. Osaka said, weakly supporting himself on Uncle Chuck. "There wasn't any time."

"Everyone's here at least," Sally said, counting heads. "Well, plus one. How are you doing Sonic?" She looked around. "Sonic?"

A muffled grunt sounded from beneath Dulcy and the dragon started to get up before slipping and falling back down. The grunting turned into muffled screams and Dulcy successfully got up on the second try. Sonic was lying on the ground with a pained expression on his face. "I've been yelled at, cut up, blown up, blown up some more, kicked in the gut by a bad copy of me, hurled who knows how many miles, and sat on...twice," he said. "How do you think I feel?"

"Like you need a hug!" Amy said jumping on him. Sonic let out a small "oof" as Amy landed and latched onto his neck. Sally's eyes flashed with jealousy again.

"Amy I think you just reopened one of my wounds," he told her while trying to pry her off before Sally killed one of them. "That and you're on one of my ribs."

Amy let go and looked down at her dress. She had indeed reopened a wound and blood had soaked into her dress. "Eww, gross!" she exclaimed. "I need to wash this out!"

"You can use my hut," Dulcy said righting herself. "I don't use it much anyway and it'd be nice to have a roommate. It's the one way in the back by the big tree."

"Thanks!" Amy said and ran off. Sonic lay back down and closed his eyes.

"Oh no you don't," Dr. Osaka said and motioned to Sally. "We are getting you into my hut so I can make sure those bones get set properly. Besides, you look like hell."

Sonic groaned as Dr. Osaka and Sally picked him up. He looked at doc and noticed that his eyes had shifted from violet back to dark brown. _Maybe Sylvanix was wrong about him_, he thought as they put him on the bed. Dr. Osaka looked him over and got some gauze and bandages.

"The wounds I can patch up, stitch if necessary. But the bones will need time to heal. You're looking at being out of commission for a few months, Sonic."

"Forget that," Sonic said trying to sit up. Dr. Osaka pushed him back down.

"Do I need to use the anesthetic again?" he threatened. "Or should I have Sally get some rope?" The look that crossed Sonic's eyes had him worried. He looked at Sally to see that same look. _Okay, not my best suggestion_, he thought, sighing out loud.

"What makes you think that rope would work doc?" Sonic asked. "I've been in tighter binds than that."

"Then the anesthetic it is," he said starting towards his medical cabinet.

"There's no way in hell you're doing that again!" Sonic nearly yelled trying to get up. "I couldn't move for a month the last time you did that."

Sally pushed him back down. "I have an idea," Sally said looking at Dr. Osaka. He frowned. He had already filled the syringe and was purging the air from the needle. Sally looked down at Sonic. "I, Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, do hereby order that you, Sonic Hedgehog, remain in this bed under the care of Dr. Adrian Osaka until he releases you with a bill of clean health," she said in her most official tone. Sonic frowned.

"That's playing dirty," he muttered. "Alright you win. I'll stay in bed until he says otherwise."

Dr. Osaka and Sally looked at each other. "You just had to ruin my fun didn't you?" he said, putting the needle away and shaking his head.

Sally smiled back an evil glimmer in her eye. "Oh, he'll need to be able to move," she said softly looking at him.

Sonic swallowed nervously. Dr. Osaka looked at the two and was about to say something when Amy came running in. "Back off, hag!" she yelled pushing Sally away from Sonic.

Sally, who up to now had been holding her temper, lost it. "Who are you calling hag, you little brat?" she yelled back.

"At least I'm cute," Amy retorted, "not withered up like some old bag of bones!"

Tails and Rotor walked in just as Sally responded and what she said made everyone in the room blush. She and Amy exchanged words growing ever louder. Sonic couldn't help but notice that Tails was staring rather strongly at Amy, though he was doing the same to Sally. He cleared his throat and got the fox's attention.

"Tails, I'd like you to meet Amy Rose," he said. The next few words out of Amy's mouth caused their mouths to drop in shock.

"Where on Mobius did that girl learn to talk like that?" Dr. Osaka asked. "She can't be any older than Tails."

"I'm twelve years old, numbskull!" Amy said turning on Dr. Osaka.

"Oh look who's talking, numbskull!" Sally told her.

"Good comeback tapioca brain!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

And so it continued each comment more colorful than the last. Finally Dr. Osaka physically held the two of them apart. "Enough, you two!" he yelled causing them both to be quiet. "Either you two leave now and be quiet about it or I will make both of you my next patients!"

Their eyes widened and they left quickly. Dr. Osaka shook his head and sighed. "I'm getting too old for this crap," he muttered. He looked at Tails who was still staring after Amy. "Tails, do you mind taking my watch shift tonight?" he asked. "I have to stay here and make sure Sonic doesn't try to leave."

Tails snapped out of it and nodded. "Yeah, no prob," he said and flew out the door. Dr. Osaka watched him leave and smiled.

"I've seen that look before," he whispered to himself. He turned to Rotor. "Anything exciting happen while we were gone?"

"Not really," he said shrugging. "We just came over here when we heard the arguing start."

"Glad to hear it," Dr. Osaka replied, shooing him out. "Now if you'll excuse us, Sonic needs his rest right now."

Rotor closed the door behind him. Dr. Osaka walked around the corner. Though he couldn't see anything from where he was Sonic could hear Dr. Osaka filling something with water. When he came back in view he was carrying a deep metal tray and placed it carefully above the door. He set a switch that, if moved to the inside of the hut, would cause the bottom of the pan to open and soak the intruder. Sonic couldn't help but smile.

"Just in case any pink hedgehogs or red-headed princesses decide to visit you in the middle of the night," he said.

"Nice touch, doc," he said laughing. Dr. Osaka joined him. When they finally settled down Dr. Osaka heaved a heavy sigh.

"Try to get some sleep Sonic," he said sitting at his desk and picking up his book. "You've had a rough day. Look at it this way: By morning you'll up and ready to go like nothing happened."

"Thanks doc," Sonic said. He laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. "It's good to be home," he said drifting off to sleep.

Dr. Osaka stared at him and smiled. "It's good to have you back," he said quietly as Sonic began snoring.


	20. Secrets in the Night

Sometime in the middle of the night Sonic woke up. He looked around, unable to see anything. No, make that nothing except a small light by the door. He could see Dr. Osaka sitting in the chair with a book open in front of him.

"You're still up, doc?" he asked groggily. Dr. Osaka looked over at Sonic in the candlelight, marking his place in the book and setting it down.

"I'm surprised at you," he admitted. "Even most Guardians wouldn't have healed that many injuries so quickly. You're just chock full of surprises today, Sonic."

"Thanks but they're not fully healed," Sonic said sitting up. "I mean, c'mon, I've only been a Guardian for a little over a month."

"Still impressive," Dr. Osaka replied adjusting his glasses. "Wind elemental powers combined with a sword style that puts emphasis on speed. You'll have to tell me where you came up with that idea."

"About that doc," Sonic interrupted him. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Tell you what?" Dr. Osaka replied innocently. "It's not as if I'm the one that up and left without telling anyone."

"You know that's not what I meant," Sonic said. "There's a lot about you we don't know, but if there's one thing I do know it's shadow elemental powers."

Dr. Osaka was quiet. "I may have...dabbled foolishly in my youth," he answered slowly.

"Cut the bullshit, doc," Sonic pressed, sitting up as much as he could. "When I went into the Temple Magus told me about 'him' and the one that serves him. Something about a heart filled with sorrow and betrayal."

"We all make mistakes," Dr. Osaka said his voice dark. "Mine was choosing the path I did."

"You don't make mistakes like this doc," Sonic said. "You don't just 'mistakenly' become a Dragoon. Especially to the thing that wants to turn Mobius into a molten hunk of rock."

"And what do you plan on doing about it?"

Sonic couldn't tell whether it was a question or a threat. "Nothing," he said simply as he laid back down. "You've spent your whole life trying to correct that 'mistake'. I have no right to force that past on you once more. That's why I asked Magus to tell people that the lynx simply turned from his path if it ever came up."

"So that's why Sally didn't say anything," Dr. Osaka murmured. "I suppose I owe you a great deal Sonic. I'm not sure the princess would've looked highly on me being the servant of that monster."

"Can you still hear him?"

Dr. Osaka gave a brief sardonic laugh. "I sold my soul to that thing. What makes you think I don't hear him right now?"

"Promise me one thing doc," Sonic said sitting back up. "Promise me that you won't join in this fight. Leave it to us so that bastard rots in his cell."

"I promise, Sonic," Dr. Osaka said. "You should get some more sleep. No telling what tomorrow will bring."

Sonic smiled and lied back down. "Thanks," he said and drifted back to sleep. Dr. Osaka watched him and made sure that he was asleep.

"I am not sure I can keep that promise Sonic," he said quietly closing his eyes. He could see a draconic face laughing at him, its deep voice sending chills through the remnants of his soul. "I fear that the seal placed on him has already weakened because of me. Who knows how long until he is finally free once more. I can only hope that you will do the right thing and kill me before that happens."


	21. The Morning After

It was barely light out when Sally woke up. She sat up and looked around her hut groggily. Yesterday had been one of the happiest days of her life. She had gotten Sonic back for good and they dealt a major blow against Robotnik. _It's almost seven_, she realized. _Knowing Sonic he won't be up for some time. At least that gives me time to think about how to get rid of Amy._

The thought of the pink hedgehog woke Sally up immediately. She threw on her vest and boots and grabbed Nicole as she bolted out the door. Not surprisingly Amy sat in front of Dr. Osaka's door with her hammer propped against her shoulder. She was sound asleep and smiling. Sally snuck around to the side of the hut by Sonic's window but stopped for a moment. She could hear Amy talking in her sleep and decided to have a listen.

"Oh Sonic I never knew," Amy muttered, her smile widening. "Ooo, that tickles! No Sonic, not until we're married." Amy giggled and Sally's face turned red, partially in disbelief but mostly in anger. This girl was hardly older than Tails and these were the kinds of dreams she had? She had never thought like that in her entire life, much less when she was twelve.

At that thought Sally stopped. Here she was seventeen years old and trying to sneak through a window to see Sonic. She wasn't acting any better than Amy. She should just go and tell Amy that Sonic wasn't interested in her and to give up on him. If anyone was going to be the adult in this situation it should be her. Amy hadn't listened to Sonic when he tried telling her but she was head over heels for him. Sally, on the other hand, wouldn't try to kiss Sonic every time he opened his mouth.

_You know what,_ Sally thought, opening the window quietly, _forget about being mature. It's time to fight fire with fire._

She flew through the window and landed on the bench just below it. She closed the window silently and sat down next to Sonic. Finally she could be alone with him without having to worry about Amy trying to tackle her. Sonic slept peacefully, not even snoring. A smile had crept across his face when Sally had snuck in. Sally raised an eyebrow and cautiously edged closer. Sonic almost always snored when he was sleeping. There was no way Dr. Osaka had put him into _that_ deep of a sleep. She could've sworn too that the closer she got the bigger Sonic's smile got. Was he even asleep?

As if he was reading her mind Sonic reached up and pulled Sally to him and kissed her soundly. Sally was taken off guard and resisted at first. Once she realized what he was doing she gladly returned the kiss. When they parted Sonic opened his eyes grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning, Sal," he whispered.

"Good morning, Sonic," she whispered back. "Sleep well?"

"I've had better," Sonic said. "Now that you're here though I'm starting to feel much better."

Sally nuzzled his cheek and hugged him. Sonic returned it as much as possible from his position. They let go when they heard shuffling. Sally prepped herself until she realized that it was coming from inside the hut. Dr. Osaka shuffled into his office area yawning loudly. He scratched his back and looked at Sonic. He began to turn away until he noticed that Sally was there next to him.

"How did you get in, Princess?" he asked. "There's no way you got in through the door, I had it rigged."

Sally looked at the top of the door just noticing the pan of water sitting above the door still rigged to go off.

"What's that for?" she asked.

"Just in case anyone tried to visit Sonic in the middle of the night," Dr. Osaka admitted looking towards the window. "In hindsight I probably should've locked the window too."

"At least I'm not trying to strangle Sonic," Sally said.

"And I thank you for that," Sonic chipped in. "I like breathing very much, as well as not being chased by an insane twelve year old pink hedgehog."

Dr. Osaka chuckled and turned on his coffee pot. "I actually think it's kind of cute."

"What?" Sally and Sonic said together.

Dr. Osaka took a step back at their reaction. He wasn't worried about Sonic coming after him; it was Sally that scared him. She had that look in her eyes like she was going for blood. "What I meant was," he explained, quickly holding his hands up, "that it's cute how she became so enamored with Sonic just because he saved her life. That she went all the way to Robotropolis just to impress him was a bit reckless, I'll admit, but nonetheless it was still quite a gesture."

Sally was still glaring at him but turned back to Sonic and gave him the biggest kiss Dr. Osaka, or Sonic for that matter, had ever seen. Sonic joined the kiss about halfway through once he got over the suddenness of it. When they separated a look of shock and pleasure was on Sonic's face.

"Wow, Sal," he said quietly. "If that's how you're gonna react whenever I'm injured I might do this more often." He smacked his lips a couple times. "By the way your new toothpaste tastes kinda funny."

"Well then," Dr. Osaka said clearing his throat, "I'm going to leave you two be. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He disappeared behind the corner and Sally snuggled into Sonic's chest. He stroked her hair smiling as she turned to face him again.

"I never really got a chance to say before," Sonic said looking into her eyes, "but I have to say I like what you did with your hair."

"But all I did is let it grow," Sally replied.

"I still like it," he said kissing her forehead.

Sally sighed and closed her eyes bringing her head up under his chin. Sonic closed his eyes still stroking her hair. If this had been his bed he wouldn't mind staying here forever. He felt and heard Sally's breathing slowing down. He looked at her as best as he could and realized that she had fallen asleep. He smiled and closed his eyes again drifting back to sleep.


	22. Morning Glory

The two of them woke up almost an hour later to a loud splash of water and a loud shriek. In the doorway stood a very wet, very angry pink hedgehog in a red dress and red boots. Her situation wasn't helped when she saw Sally snuggled against Sonic. "LET GO OF MY BOYFRIEND, YOU OLD HAG!" Amy yelled, running at her. She swung her hammer at Sally, not paying attention to where she was. On instinct Sally moved and Amy's hammer came crashing down on Sonic. His eyes shot open in pain and he began coughing violently. Amy immediately dropped the hammer and ran to Sonic's side.

"Oh, Sonic," she said holding his hand. "Are you okay?"

"What do you mean 'are you okay'?" Sally yelled at the pink hedgehog. "You're the one who hit him with the hammer in the first place!"

"Well I wouldn't have hit him if you hadn't moved, you old bag!" Amy retorted sticking out her tongue and pulling down the bottom of her eyelid.

"Old bag?" Sally said balling her hands. "Who are you calling old bag, you spoiled brat?"

"There's only one old person in here, I wonder who?" Amy said innocently with her finger by her mouth. Then she smiled and pointed at Sally. "It must be you!"  
>Sally snarled and leapt over Sonic to tackle Amy. The two crashed against the wall causing Dr. Osaka to come running out.<p>

"What in the blazes is going on?" he said watching the two fight.

There was his mistake. Both Amy and Sally began bombarding him with demands that the other one should be thrown out of the hut. Dr. Osaka, unable to get a word in, managed to slip away as the two began arguing with each other again. Sonic had gotten out of bed and had just finished tying his sneakers when Dr. Osaka sat down next to him. They both watched the fight for a bit.

"You know," Sonic said slowly, "I always thought I'd be the jealous possessive one in this relationship."

"That's what I was thinking too," Dr. Osaka replied staring at him. "I have to ask though, how do you do it?"

"Doc, if I knew why would I put myself through this?" Sonic asked.

"Well, you always were a bit of an attention hog," he answered smiling. "The way I figure there's nothing better than two beautiful women fighting over you."

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "One, Amy is twelve, though I will admit she's cute...for a kid. Two, Sally is the only gal for me no matter what."

"Glad to hear it, Sonic," Dr. Osaka said, turning back to the fight. "Although you have to admit this is still entertaining."

"Yeah I guess," Sonic said as Amy brought her hammer down on Sally's head. Sally yelped and grabbed the hammer from the hedgehog's hands. Amy bolted out the door while Sally chased her outside. "What I wouldn't give for a video camera."

"I can help you there, Sonic, my main hedgehog," a voice droned.

Sonic looked down and spotted Nicole lying on the ground. He picked her up and looked at the computer curiously.

"Really, Nicole?" he asked smiling. "This day just got a little bit more fun." Before Dr. Osaka could say anything Sonic ran out the door following the two girls. He looked around for them and yelled in surprise. He ran off to the left as Amy came running by her arms wide open. Sally was still chasing the young hedgehog with her hammer and yelling some very colorful curses. Dr. Osaka sighed and leaned back on the bench.

"Ah, young love," he said smiling. "This is why I stayed single and unattached." He watched as Sonic nearly ran Rosie over and Dr. Osaka felt a painful tugging at his heart. "At least at times I wish I had."

By the ring pool Amy looked around carefully for Sonic. She had lost sight of her boyfriend and shaken Sally from her trail. She knew Sonic was around here somewhere. She looked up into the trees watching for movement. She did happen to notice a young two-tailed fox flying back from one of the outposts yawning tiredly. She waved at Tails trying to get his attention.

"Tails! Tails!" she yelled. Tails attention turned to her and his eyes opened up. "Can you come down here for a sec?"

In a heartbeat Tails was on the ground by Amy. "What do you need, Amy?" he asked his tails wagging.

"Have you seen Sonic at all?" she asked as she batted her eyes at him and leaned closer with a sultry smile. "I know I saw him come by here but I can't seem to find him."

"Umm, well, umm," Tails said nervously. "I just, uh, got back from watch and, um, I haven't seen Sonic since, uh, um, last night."

"Aww, that's too bad," Amy said seductively. "I might have a surprise for you if you can help me." With this she winked at the young fox whose eyes widened in anticipation.

"He's in the pool," Tail said quickly pointing towards the water. "He's right by the bank using a straw to breathe."

"Traitor!" Sonic yelled leaping out of the water and running off.

Amy smiled and kissed Tails on the cheek. "Thanks, hun!" she said and took off after Sonic. Tails' legs gave out under him and he fell face first into the ground. When Sally came upon him he had a goofy smile on his face and his eyes were glazed over. She sighed and picked him up. She carried him back to his hut and set him down in bed. He was still smiling when she tucked him in.

"Thanks, Amy," Tails finally said and was instantly asleep.

Sally's first reaction was to smack Tails on the head for calling her Amy but stopped when she realized what was going on. Tails had a crush on Amy! _Poor thing_, Sally thought. _Still, it's good to know if we need to throw Amy of Sonic's trail_. She kissed Tails on the forehead and left his hut quietly. She leaned against the wall next to the door and rubbed her chin thinking. If she could convince Amy to start dating Tails then she would leave Sonic alone. If she left Sonic alone then everybody would be happy, especially Sally. She did feel slightly bad about throwing him under the bus like this but it was for the good of the village and she was certain Tails would have no complaints about it either. They were going to have to give the two of them the "talk" anyway just with how they were acting. A shudder ran down her spine when she thought of what Amy would do to Tails otherwise. With a plan in mind Sally ran off in the direction that she heard Sonic yelling at Amy to leave him alone.

In a nearby hut Bunnie stirred from her night's sleep. Next to her was Antoine on the outside of the covers. It was something that he had insisted on and she had agreed to reluctantly. She wasn't going to try anything; she just wanted to feel him next to her.

"Wake up, sugarfox," she whispered by his ear.

His ear twitched and he rolled over smiling. "Good morning, mademoiselle," he said. "How did you sleep?"

"Never better," she said giving him a light kiss. "You know, if this is something you wanna insist on Ah could just bring your bed over here from your hut."

Antoine shook his head. "It is not that," he said quietly. "I enjoy being with you, Bunnie. It's just that sometimes I enjoy time to myself."

"Ah understand," she said giggling. "Ah'm just pickin' on you." She kissed him and he returned it gladly.

Their moment was interrupted by a loud yell and a loud crash that shook the hut. They both stood up to look out the window. There they could see Amy chasing Sonic and Sally with her hammer, a look of righteous anger across her face. The curses coming out her mouth made the two of them blush so much you would think their fur was red.

"You think we should help sugarhog and Sally-girl?" Bunnie asked still watching the spectacle.

"I am thinking, no," Antoine said smiling. "The hedgehog got himself into this mess. It should be being very funny to see how he is getting out of it."

Bunnie stared at Antoine slack jawed. "Oh mah stars, Ant," she said, "that's just evil." She then smiled and turned back to the window. "Although I have to say that Ah agree with you. This is gonna be good."


	23. A 'Minor' Problem

Sonic and Sally dove into a hut and quickly closed the door behind them. They heard Amy running by still yelling at them and breathed a sigh of relief when they couldn't hear her anymore.

"That was way too close," Sally said panting.

"Agreed, Sal," Sonic said nodding, trying to catch his breath. "But man, can that girl run!"

"And who might this be?" an elderly voice said. "And I might also ask what you two are doing on my floor this early in the morning."

"Sorry, Rosie," Sally apologized as she and Sonic stood up. "Amy's been chasing us for a couple hours now."

"I think I understand why she's after Sonic," Rosie said calmly. "But why you, Princess?"

"Jealousy," Sonic said quickly. "And here I thought that was my gig." Sonic snapped his fingers and started rooting around in his pack. Sally was about to ask what was up when he pulled out Nicole and handed it to her. "You dropped Nicole earlier," he said. "You must have dropped her when you and Amy, uh, 'met' this morning."

Sally blushed, glad that Sonic had left out the part about her tackling the younger hedgehog. "Thanks, Sonic," she said, clipping Nicole to her boot.

"I am still quite confused as to what's going on," Rosie said, sitting down. "I'm more concerned as to what you're going to do when you plan raids out, Princess. Amy will want to go wherever Sonic is and her young emotions may jeopardize everyone's safety."

"I actually have a plan that may solve two problems at once," Sally said smiling. "But if it works I'm going to need your help, Rosie."

"I am here to help, child," the badger replied. "Just let me know what needs done and I'll do what I can."

"This have anything to do with the way Tails was watching you two fight yesterday?" Sonic asked sitting on the floor.

Sally nodded. "I found him by the pool earlier with a lovesick look on his face. When I put him in bed he said, 'thanks, Amy'. My guess is that Tails has a thing for her."

"Poor guy," Sonic muttered. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Sally and Rosie laughed. "Perhaps it is karma coming to visit, Sonic," Rosie said. "All those years chasing Sally are coming back to haunt you."

Sonic almost said, "Yeah, but it finally paid off," but chose not to and just sighed. "You got me there, Rosie," he finally said.

"Your part in this Rosie," Sally continued, "is very important if this works. I'll give Tails the 'talk' if you can do the same for Amy."

Rosie raised an eyebrow at this and Sonic gave her a curious look as well. "Exactly why, Princess?" she asked. "She's only twelve years old, what should we really be worried about."

Sally then recounted what she had heard Amy dreaming about. Pure surprise and shock was written on Rosie's face and Sonic's jaw was slack. "You have got to be kidding me," Sonic said, snapping out of it. "There is no way a kid that young said something like that."

"I heard it straight from her mouth," Sally replied, shaking her head.

Rosie cleared her throat still somewhat in shock. "I...see why you wanted to have the 'talk' with her," she said. "I can only imagine what she might do to poor innocent Tails. But what makes you think she'll listen to me?"

"I'm hoping once she's interested in Tails and not Sonic she'll calm down," Sally answered. "If not, well, you did raise Sonic so I imagine most of the same tactics should work with her."

"Thanks for the reminder," Sonic grumbled, rubbing his backside. "I was just starting to forget about those 'tactics'."

Rosie shook her head. "I don't think I'll need to," she said. "From what you said yesterday the only reason she's like this is because you saved her. Perhaps if she were to realize that your interests lie elsewhere she will return to her normal self. It may simply be that she needs a motherly figure in her life."

"I hope you're right, Rosie," Sonic said, shaking his head. "I don't know how long I could keep my sanity if this is how she always is."

"Hopefully your plan will work, Sally," Rosie continued.

"So do I Rosie," Sally said, sitting down next to Sonic. "I already got hit once with that hammer of hers and I would prefer that doesn't happen again."

"Same here," Sonic added, rubbing his chest where Amy had hit him earlier. Rosie stood up and went to her stove where a pot of water had begun to boil. She poured the boiling water into three cups and put tea bags in them. She gave two cups to Sonic and Sally and sat down with the third. Sally watched as Sonic carefully drank it, knowing how much he hated tea. But in front of Rosie Sonic wouldn't dare to be so rude as to turn it away.

"Now that we have that matter settled," Rosie said, taking a sip, "it still leaves the small matter as to why Amy is chasing you as well, Princess." Sally and Sonic both blushed and looked down into their cups as if there was something interesting in them.

"Umm, well, that would be, uh," Sally said nervously. "I think it's just jealousy like Sonic said earlier."

"I'm not entirely sure you're telling me everything," Rosie questioned them smiling. "If only there was some way to know..."

Nicole began beeping and Sally quickly pulled the computer off her boot. "What is it, Nicole?" she asked.

"I believe that I can help there Sally," Nicole said. "Beginning playback." She replayed the conversation that Sonic and Dr. Osaka had while Sally and Amy had been going at it earlier that morning. "End of recording, Sally," Nicole said after a few moments as both Sally's and Rosie's eyes turned on Sonic. He was blushing so intensely it had spread through his entire body.

"Thanks a lot, Nicole," he muttered at the computer. "I thought you were on my side here."

"I would start explaining if I were you, Sonic," Rosie said smiling brightly.

"Indeed, Sonic Hedgehog," Sally said a playful look in her eyes.

Sonic began to sweat. "Well, you see, umm," he stuttered. "It's not what it sounded like."

"Oh, then what was it?" Sally asked.

"Umm," Sonic looked around for a way out of this. "I, uh, think I hear Tails calling. Gotta juice!"

With that Sonic took off out the door, blowing and loose papers across the hut. Sally watched him run off and smiled. "Nicole, save that recording," she said an evil smile on her face.

"File saved, Sally," Nicole replied. "Saved as 'Sonic's in trouble'."

"Very nice touch," Rosie said with a chuckle as Sally returned Nicole to her boot. "You still haven't answered my question, Sally."

Now it was Sally's turn to find a way out. "Umm, I should probably go make sure that Amy leaves Sonic alone," she said quickly and ran off almost as fast as Sonic. Rosie fixed her hair and laughed lightly.

"Adrian you are an evil, evil lynx," she said smiling. "After all these years you haven't changed a bit." Her smile faded and her eyes filled with sorrow. "You really would have made an excellent father."


	24. Take a Chance

Sonic managed to make it through the rest of the morning without Amy finding him and he was finally able to relax in his hut. That girl was nuts! It reminded him a little of when he and Sally had been younger.

He shook his head trying to get rid of the thought. No, that was then, this was now. He was with Sally now and that was all that mattered. He lay down on his bed and looked at the ceiling.

_Who am I kidding?_ he thought. _If I hadn't been such a screw up back then maybe I would've had a better chance with Sal. Heck, maybe we would've been able to finish Robotnik and Snively off with the Deep Power Stones. If I hadn't doubted what Sally had meant to me then we wouldn't be in any of this mess right now_. Sonic smiled as he remembered the brief flight back to Knothole after taking out Doomsday. Even if it had been for a few minutes he had been able to fly like Sally still could. It had been more exhilarating than his first time using a power ring. The power hadn't lasted the night but he could still remember the feeling like it had been yesterday. He had been depressed at first but quickly got over it. His speed had increased tenfold so who was he to complain? And now on top of that he could harness the power of the wind. If anything they stood a better chance against Robotnik now than they had before. But still...

_I don't know how she couldn't blame me_, he thought. _How many times has she depended on me and I've let her down? I hate to admit it, or even think about it, but back then I was useless_.

Though he couldn't have known it Sally sat in her hut thinking along the same lines.

_Why did it take so long for him to come around?_ she thought. _We were so close as kids, everyone thought that we would be together forever. And then out of nowhere he just stopped. Sure, he was kind of overbearing when we first met Griff but he made up for that. There are just so many things out of his power that he's blamed himself for. He really tried to help my father out of the Void but there's no way he could have known his life force would be tied to it_. She thought back to when they had used the Deep Power Stones against Robotnik. Something had felt off to her the whole time. She had felt like Sonic wasn't opening himself to her completely. But there was no way something like that had allowed Robotnik and Snively to make it out of that wreckage. She remembered the look on his face when they had gotten news from one of their spies that Robotnik was still alive. They had been inches from kissing when it had come. Sonic's face had had the look that said he was blaming himself for it. And after that he had distanced himself from her again. _One way or the other I'll get the answer from him_, she thought with determination. _I have to know why he waited until now to tell me he loves me._

Knothole had finally opened up as the fight between Sally, Sonic and Amy came to a close. Since he was in charge of food for the week Antoine immediately went to the dining hut to prepare lunch. None of the villagers had complained about missing breakfast since Amy hadn't shown any mercy to anyone in her way. It had just been healthier to avoid going out at all until she had calmed down. Amy had gone back to the hut she was sharing with Dulcy, even though Dulcy only used the large branch outside the hut. A couple of hours went by and many of the villagers began heading towards the dining hut. Sally stopped by Sonic's hut and knocked on the door. He opened the door yawning.

"You ready to give my plan a shot?" she asked.

"Ready when you are, Sal," he said blinking.

"Good, now what I need you to do is just let Amy hang on you like she wants to."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Okay," he said slowly. "I assume I don't have to worry about you flying into a craze about this then."

"Just don't kiss her," Sally warned narrowing her eyes. "I'm gonna go get Tails and see if he wants to help."

Sonic followed her out and went towards the dining hut as Sally went towards Tails' hut. Ever since he had become an official Freedom Fighter he had been begging for his own place. Sally had finally caved and Sonic had helped the fox build it. Sally watched as Amy came running up from her hut and latched onto Sonic's back. She held back her jealousy at Sonic calmly conversing with the young hedgehog.

"Yo' Ant! Dozen chili dogs right here," Sonic said.

Antoine nodded and started pulling out cans. "One dozen chili dogs coming up, Sonic," he said cheerfully.

This whole time Amy hadn't let go of Sonic's back and was talking his ear off. _I wonder if I can get Rotor to make one of those earpieces that blocks out Amy's voice_, he thought idly. He grabbed the plate Antoine handed him and took a deep whiff.

"Perfect, Ant!" he said giving the unusually energetic fox a thumb up. Antoine smiled and continued about his normal routine.

Amy briefly unlatched from Sonic to grab something eat. She ate almost as much as Sonic and he had hardly noticed when she had let go. Though running around with a hammer like that would keep anyone in pretty good shape.

Sonic sat down and Amy sat as close to him as she could while still being able to eat. Sonic only commented lightly on what she was saying. Normally he would have eaten all of his chili dogs by now but was simply worn out by the chase from earlier. It had only been a few minutes and she had finished everything she had gotten. After a while Tails came up and tapped Amy on the shoulder.

"Hey Amy, wanna play tag?" he asked.

"Sure!" Amy said. "Bye, Sonic!" She gave him a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the hut with Tails. When Sonic was sure she was gone he sighed and let his head fall to the table.

"Ack, gross!" he said when he realized he had just plopped his head in his plate of chili dogs. He looked around. No one was staring at him, probably just glad that Amy was gone. Sonic pulled one of the dogs that had stuck to him, popped it in his mouth and then grabbed some napkins.

"Now _that_ was gross," a feminine voice said behind him. Sally sat down next to Sonic as he cleaned the chili out his hair quills.

"Hey, it was still good," he said defensively. "When you look this good, nothing is bad."

Sally sighed. "You are still so full of yourself," she said shaking her head. She then leaned next to his ear. "But I still love you."

Sonic smiled and turned to her. "And even if you never try one I still love you."

"Who said I wouldn't try one?" Sally asked with a smirk. "I just don't want to."

"Oh come on, Sal," Sonic pushed. "Just have one, it ain't gonna kill you. If you do, I'll try one of your salads."

Sally's eyes widened playfully at the challenge. "This I gotta see," she said and got up.

Sonic watched as she got a small salad and returned to her seat. The other villagers had heard Sonic's little bet and were turning to watch the two of them. Sally handed the salad to Sonic who looked at it warily.

"You do realize you have to go first," he said still looking at the leafy dish. Sally's face fell.

"But this is something I think we all want to see," she replied. "I know there's no way you'd ever eat a salad, let alone one of mine, and this may be the only time we get to see this."

Sonic smiled. "Sorry, but the deal was if YOU eat a chili dog, I'll eat a salad."

Sally frowned knowing he was right. She picked up one of the dogs on his plate making sure to get one that hadn't been stuck on his head and stared at it. Sonic was beaming and most of the village was as well. They knew if she ate it Sonic would be stuck. Sally took a deep breath inhaling the odor of the sauce. She did have to admit that it smelled great. She glanced at Sonic who was still grinning. She closed her eyes and took a bite. It was as if the chili dog was a bomb of flavor that went off in her mouth. She tried not to let Sonic see how much she was enjoying it. She swallowed and opened her eyes to look at him.

"There, I tried it," she said defiantly. "Your turn."

"Not so fast, Sal," Sonic said, wagging his finger. "I recall saying _eat_ a chili dog, not try. You gotta finish that one."

Sally stared at the dog. She so much just wanted to scarf it down like she had seen Sonic do so many times. She ate the dog slowly, savoring it and trying to make it look like she was disgusted by it. Sonic watched her face able to clearly see all the signs that she thoroughly enjoyed his favorite food. He chose not to say anything right now to her though he would remember this moment. She finally swallowed the last bit and looked at Sonic. She was trying not to look at his plate.

"One chili dog," she said pointing at herself before pointing at him, "one salad." Sonic gulped and looked at the salad before him. He had never told Sally but Rosie had more-or-less forced him to eat a salad in a "How do you know you don't like if it you won't try it?" moment. He'd been sick for the better part of the day and Rosie let it drop after that. Now he just told everyone that if it wasn't a chili dog he wouldn't eat it and yet here he was now facing down the green menace once more. He slowly picked up a fork and took a deep breath. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Tails and Amy had taken a break from their game and were watching him.

"What's going on?" Amy asked turning to Tails.

"I'd have to say that Sonic lost a bet to Aunt Sally," Tails said as Sonic took his first bite. The hedgehog's look was pained as he swallowed and Tails giggled. "He probably bet Aunt Sally that she wouldn't eat a chili dog."

"What's wrong with chili dogs?" Amy said. "I love 'em. Almost as much as him." She sighed and stared dreamily at Sonic as he forced down another bite.

Sally was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. She had to make sure that it looked like she was watching Sonic and not his plate of dogs so no one would get suspicious. Sonic lifted the last bit of salad off the plate and into his mouth. He chewed a couple times and then swallowed. The entire hut burst into applause with some people patting Sonic on the shoulder. Amy ran up and latched onto Sonic's neck as tight as she could.

"Oh Sonic, I knew you could do it!" she exclaimed.

Sonic meanwhile was beginning to turn green the tighter Amy squeezed him. Sally briefly thought about not telling the young hedgehog and then told herself that no one, not even Amy, deserved that.

"Amy, you may want to let go," Sally said calmly.

"And why would I do that, old geezer?" Amy snapped at Sally.

Sally's temper flared briefly but then returned to the matter at hand. "If you don't let go of Sonic," she said, "you're going to be covered in lettuce."

"But Sonic ate all of it," Amy said, looking at the plate. "See? All gone!"

"That's not...what I meant," Sally warned, backing up slowly.

Amy let go enough that she could see Sonic's face. "Ewww, gross!" she yelled and ran out the door followed closely by Tails. Sonic's face almost immediately returned to its normal color and he took a deep breath. Some of the villagers gave additional applause and then they all returned to their meals. Sally smiled at Sonic who was staring at the ceiling.

"I hate you," he said. "But I owe you for getting rid of her twice now."

"You did that to yourself," Sally said picking up their plates. "Well, let's put Phase Two of my plan into motion."

She deposited the plates near the dishwasher and turned to Antoine who was now daydreaming. "Hey Antoine, can you make a plate of chili dogs?" she asked him.

Antoine jumped out of his daze and looked at her. "But I thought you greatly disliked them, Princess," he asked.

"They're not for me," Sally said, thinking quickly. "They're for Dr. Osaka. You know what it's like when he tries to cook."

"Then it is no problem. The fewer burning huts we are to be putting out the better," Antoine said, handing her a plate.

"Thanks Antoine," Sally said and hurried out the door and off to her hut. Sonic was too busy trying to keep the salad down to notice any of this. Antoine watched Sally curiously as she left.

"I thought those were for the doctor," he said scratching his head. "Ah, I must be seeing things."


	25. Hard Discussions

Sonic walked back to his hut finally feeling normal. He had no idea what Phase Two was so he figured that the best bet would be to continue his training like his sensei wanted. He reached for his sword and grabbed a shinai (bamboo sword) as well. With both strapped to his waist he walked outside to the dummies Rotor had set up for him. Before he started he knelt down, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

As Sonic was doing this Tails sat at the edge of the ring pool watching. He had never seen him like this, so calm and peaceful. It was weird and awkward as far as the young fox was concerned. Sonic had never been like this as long as he had known him. Amy plopped down next to him, taking her boots off and dipping her feet into the water.

"So...how long have you and Sonic known each other?" she began. Tails gulped nervously.

"Umm, about eight years," he replied. "They found me in the forest all by myself. We've tried looking for my parents but we can't find them."

"Do you think Robotnik got them?" Tails stared at the surface of the pool, rings from where their feet were forming into ripples across the entire surface.

"Like I said, we can't find them anywhere," he reiterated. "How about you? Sonic mentioned that your parents were captured by Robotnik."

"I know I'll rescue them," Amy said, picking up a flat stone and skipping it across the pool. "After Sonic saved my village we moved to Ash Grove. I was off trying to find Sonic when I heard the news." She stared at the meditating Sonic. "He's...he's not the same as when he saved us," she continued, picking up another stone. "The way he looked when he was fighting that human wasn't the Sonic that I fell in love with."

"What do you mean?"

"It's his eyes," she explained. "He used to have these really soft-looking eyes that you could just fall into. Now..." She glanced over at Sonic again. "Now it's like they're cold and hard like stone. Especially when he carries a sword."

"I haven't noticed that," Tails commented as he watched Sonic. "I mean, sure, he's a little different now but if anything he's calmer. It's like he found some kind of inner peace that we can only hope to find one day."

As Tails and Amy continued to talk Sonic opened his eyes and took a deep breath. His mind was clear, the first step that his sensei had showed him before starting any training. Doing his best to keep his mind clear of all distraction he drew the shinai, thinking of nothing but each of his movements. He held it in front of him and lined up with the target. Then, with one relentless strike after another, he struck the dummy with all his strength. After a few minutes he stopped, took his gloves off, and continued with the strikes, eventually moving into a three-strike stance. It was only a few minutes into this that he lost his patience and struck the dummy as hard as he could. His breathing was rapid and sweat had formed at his brow.

"Why do I feel like I'm not accomplishing anything?" he wondered out loud, sheathing the shinai. "I was fine with the meditation but something about my form is off." He placed his hand on his father's sword and stared at the dummies. He focused on the first, and then charged at his top speed. With a single draw he felt the blade connect once on each shoulder as he sped past. He cursed under his breath, spun around and repeated the attack, connecting twice again.

Tails and Amy watched as Sonic attacked the dummies over and over, each strike more relentless than the last. After several dozen tries he let out an animalistic yell and let loose a series of slashes that were invisible to their eyes but caused the dummies to erupt. Sonic sheathed the sword and stormed back to his hut muttering under his breath. Tails leapt to his feet and grabbed his sneakers.

"Hey Amy, I'll be back in a little bit," he said running off. "Maybe we can go swimming later!"

"Sure thing, Tails," she said waving at him. She looked back into the water of the pool at her reflection. Sure, Sonic had saved her life but she could tell that he didn't feel the same way about her that she did about him. Tails had really been the only person she had connected with since she had been here. Everyone just saw her as a menace or an annoyance. She sniffled as a tear rolled down her face into the pool.

"You really like him don't you?" a voice said beside her as they slipped their feet into the pool. Amy looked over as Sally sat down next to her. She wiped away her tears.

"Tails? Well, he's a really cool guy," she said quickly. "My heart will always belong to Sonic though."

"Stop kidding yourself," Sally said calmly. "You're not blind Amy. You know that Sonic doesn't love you but you just don't want to accept it. Tails is really trying his hardest to impress you." Amy looked back in the water. She knew it was true but she wasn't about to give Sally the upper hand.

"You're just trying to get me to give up, you old grandma," she retorted. "No way am I letting some old lady have my Sonic!"

"Old lady? Grandma?" Sally said angrily. "Now wait a second here. Sonic's the same age as I am, wouldn't that make him an old man?"

"Nope," Amy said shaking her head. "Just you."

Sally growled. "At least I have some common sense about me," Sally yelled. "I can take a hint at least."

"Nope," Amy said childishly still shaking her head.

"Why you little...!"

"Hey Sonic wait up!" Tails yelled, running behind Sonic. Sonic turned around and smiled when he saw the fox.

"What's up, big guy?" he asked, continuing to walk when Tails had caught up.

"I, umm, wanted to ask you something," Tails said nervously.

"No prob," Sonic said, mussing his hair. Tails fixed it and muttered something Sonic couldn't understand. They got to his hut and Sonic put the swords back in his closet. He and Tails sat on the edge of his bed. "So what's up?" Sonic asked. "You seemed kinda tense earlier."

Tails looked at Sonic's eyes. They were black again and still the same eyes he remembered from the hedgehog that had found him all those years ago.

"I kinda wanted to ask you something about Amy," he said twiddling his thumbs.

_Ah crap!_ Sonic thought. _Sally was supposed to do this. Well, maybe it's better if I do it. He looks up to me like a brother anyway. _"Fire away."

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain," Tails started. "I didn't think much about her when she first showed up but when she and Aunt Sally started fighting, I just felt like something 'clicked'."

"I did notice you were starin' pretty good there," Sonic said smiling. "Not that I wasn't but that's a different story. Go on."

"Well, it's just that I think I really like Amy but I don't know what to do," Tails said looking at his idol. "I mean, you don't like her so why should I?"

"Tails, it has nothing to do with whether-"

Sonic stopped when he heard muffled yelling coming from the ring pool. He stood up and looked out his window and had to cover his mouth so he wouldn't burst into laughter. Amy's face was bright red and she had grabbed one of her sandals. She began slapping Sally across the face with it rapidly. Sally, who for some reason couldn't defend against a sandal, grabbed the shoe once Amy stopped and said something Sonic couldn't hear from where he was. Whatever it was had made Amy blush even more and began beating Sally with her other sandal.

"That's kinda what I mean," Tails said, watching intently. "When Amy beats up Aunt Sally I feel really, well, happy I guess. But when it's the other way around I just wanna pounce Aunt Sally to make her stop."

Sonic turned from the sight of Sally getting beat with a shoe to put his hands on Tails' shoulders. "Listen pal, that's perfectly normal," Sonic explained. "Well, maybe not _normal_ but that's getting technical. You're getting to that age when you're starting to notice girls a lot more." Sonic swallowed trying to think of what to say next. "There are just some things that you need to know about first."

"Like what?"

Sonic sat Tails down and explained how things were. He told him what was okay, what wasn't okay (and with Amy being there he focused on what wasn't okay) and that everything he was feeling was perfectly normal. When they had finished Tails sat on the edge of the bed quietly.

"I think...I get it, sort of," he said slowly. "But how do I get her to notice me?"

"Just be yourself," Sonic said simply. "If nothing else works just be direct about it."

"What do you mean?"

Sonic shook his head smiling. "That's something that you have to figure out on your own, bud," he said. "You'll know what to do when the time comes."

Tails smiled and jumped down from the bed. "Thanks Sonic!" he yelled as he ran from the hut. Sonic couldn't help smiling as the young fox ran out of the hut.

_Poor kid,_ he thought. _If he only knew what he was getting himself into. _Sally walked into his hut staring back at Tails. She was rubbing her cheeks where Amy had hit her which were still bright red. She sat down next to Sonic still looking out the door.

"I've never seen anyone get hit with a shoe before," Sonic admitted looking at her.

Sally glared at Sonic who backed away quickly. "How about we make it two in one day?" she threatened.

"Well..." Sonic started but decided against it. "You know what, never mind."

Sally smiled. "Thought so. So, how did it go?" she asked.

"How did what go?"

"You know, your little talk with Tails," Sally asked still smiling.

Sonic was about to tell her when it dawned on him. "You set me up!" he exclaimed.

"I thought it be more meaningful coming from you," Sally said, giving him quick kiss.

Sonic almost let go of her when he tasted something familiar. He pulled Sally closer and kissed her deeply. Sally was taken off guard but still enjoyed it. When they parted Sonic had grin on his face.

"I thought that's what it was," he said. "Chili dog suit you much better than that nasty toothpaste."

Sally blushed and looked away. "It's just from lunch," she said quickly.

"No, I know that taste," Sonic said wrapping his arms around her. "I'd say you've eaten at least a dozen of them."

Sally smiled and fell back into his lap to look up at him. "Guilty as charged," she said and kissed him again.

What these two had failed to realize was that the door was wide open for all to see and both Antoine and Bunnie watched the spectacle.

"So that is their secret," Antoine realized. "I was wondering why they were acting so differently around each other."

"Ah just didn't think they'd leave the door open," Bunnie commented. "Still, looks kinda nice."

Antoine held Bunnie's hand tighter. "You know that I would be giving you the world," he said kissing her cheek. Bunnie's face turned pink and she used her ears to cover it up.

"Oh Antoine," she said giggling.


	26. Barking Up A Tree

The afternoon came and went much faster than Sonic and Sally had hoped. By late afternoon most of Knothole had forgotten about the day's earlier events. Some of the villagers, led by Dr. Osaka and Rosie, had thrown together an impromptu celebration to commemorate their victories against Robotnik. Amy had left Sonic and Sally alone and the two cuddled in Sonic's hut, finally realizing they had left the door open earlier.

They joined the celebration once the large bonfire had started to blaze. Sonic was the first to see Tails and Amy walking up arm-in-arm talking and smiling. Relief welled up inside Sonic, much to his pleasure. Sally saw it too and smiled. They joined the party and had the time of their lives. Rosie had prepared all the food including chili dogs. Sonic held one up for Sally who quickly turned it down. She in turn held a salad up for him and he just glared at her. The villagers laughed at the exchange. Just before midnight came a countdown started up for no apparent reason. When the count hit zero animals kissed each other on the cheek, except for Bunnie who was kissing Antoine like there was no tomorrow. Sally kissed Sonic on the cheek and he smiled.

"I TOLD YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU GEEZER!" yelled a voice off to the side.

Sally turned to see Amy running towards them with her hammer. She also noticed Tails face first in the ground from where he had tried to kiss Amy's cheek and missed. Sonic grabbed Sally's hand and ran off into the Great Forest. Amy chased them and they could hear the villagers laughing at the three of them. Sonic had gone about a mile out of the village when he turned to see Amy still chasing them.

"I've had enough of this," he muttered and ran up the nearest tree. He stopped at the first branch that looked sturdy enough to hold him and Sally. He sat down and held Sally in his lap.

"I can wait here as long as needed, you old hag!" Amy yelled up at them.

Sally was about to yell something back but Sonic put a finger to her lips and shook his head. "Let's just enjoy each other's company for the time being," he said. "Something tells me we're going to be up here a while."

Sally sighed and leaned back into his chest. Amy watched all this from the ground and sat down on the ground with her back to the trunk. _Stay up there all you want,_ she thought. _When you get down I'll be right here waiting for you._

They spent the next two hours just sitting there holding onto each other. Sally looked at Sonic to catch him looking at the stars. "Can I ask you something, Sonic?" she asked.

"I don't see why not," he answered, looking down at her.

Sally swallowed nervously. "Why did you wait so long?" she said finally. "You know, to come back to me."

Sonic was about to ask her exactly what she meant when he realized that she wasn't talking about physically. All the time he had spent running away from her. He sighed and looked back up. "I guess I, blamed myself for letting you down so much," he said.

"Sonic, you have never let me down," she said, putting her hand on his cheek so he would look at her. "What on Mobius do you mean?"

He looked away and was silent for a moment. "Do you remember when we were kids playing tag in the forest?" he asked.

Sally nodded. "Yeah, we used to play all the time," she answered. "But what does that have to do with any of this?"

"There was one day we were playing and we must have gotten too close to Robotropolis," he continued. "You were chasing me when we came onto a SWATbot patrolling the area. When the bot spotted you I was too scared to move. Even with you screaming for help I just couldn't move. When it fired and hit you I just...lost it. I used my Spin Attack and took out the bot without thinking. Then I got you back to Knothole as fast as I could."

"Why don't I remember any of this?" Sally asked. She remembered everything else from that day but this particular part had always been a blank. She just assumed it was nothing important and had forgotten about it.

"Doc said that since you were so young you probably blocked out the memory," Sonic said. "I stayed by your bed the whole time ignoring everything else around me. I swore after that I would never be afraid again. I...I didn't want to lose you."

"Oh, Sonic," Sally said resting her head on his chest and holding him. "That's why you were so distant from me? I would never have blamed you for that."

"I guess deep down I knew that," Sonic admitted. "I just didn't want my emotions get the better of me."

"What about when we met Griff?" Sally asked. "I've never seen you so jealous before."

Sonic shook his head. "That one you can blame on my gut," he said. "The way I figured it if I could get you to not like Griff as much then we'd all be okay."

Sally hugged him as tight as she could. She was hoping it had been more than that but was happy with what she got. "You blame yourself for too much," she said finally. "There are some things that you had no power over and you did your best. You can't blame yourself every time something goes wrong."

Sonic was silent and just sat there holding her. He knew she was referring to Lezar's spellbook and her father. He smiled and held her tighter. "Thanks Sal, I needed that."

Amy looked up and sighed. After that there was no way she stood a chance with Sonic. That didn't mean she was going to give up but what was the point? If she couldn't have Sonic what was the point in staying in Knothole? She had just started crying when she felt someone sit next to her. "What's wrong Amy?" Tails asked, holding a plate of chili dogs.

Amy wiped her eyes and shook her head. "It's nothing," she said sniffling. She eyed the plate as her stomach growled. "It's almost two in the morning and you're making food?"

Tails shook his head smiling. "They're not for me," he said handing her the plate. "I remembered you said you liked chili dogs. I made a plate of 'em for you once I realized that you were still out here chasing these two."

"But how did you find me?" she asked, scarfing one down immediately.

"Amy, you're pink," Tails said simply. "You stick out like a sore thumb." She blushed and threw a chili dog at him. Rather than moving out of the way he caught the dog in his mouth and swallowed it. Amy's jaw dropped as he licked his lips. "How did...?"

"Sonic taught me," he said simply. "He's the one that got me hooked on chili dogs."

Somewhere up in the tree they heard Sally mutter, "You have got to stop teaching him these things," followed by Sonic's laughter. Tails smiled but noticed the sad look on Amy's face. Before he could say anything Amy wiped away another tear.

"C'mon, I know something's wrong," Tails insisted scooting closer to her.

"It's just that...I know Sonic likes Sally," she finally admitted. "And I know that no matter how hard I try that'll never change. If I can't win Sonic over then there's no reason for me to stay."

"C'mon, you know that's not true," Tails said. "We could really use you here."

Amy shook her head. "Everyone here sees me as nothing but a little girl with a crush. I don't really mean anything to anyone."

"You do to me."

Tails quiet comment had surprised both of them. Amy looked at him, turning a deep crimson. She tried to say something but no words would come to her. She had also realized their faces were very close right now. Tails moved a little closer and closed his eyes. Amy did the same and their lips met. She had never felt like this in her entire life. This one moment with Tails blew whatever she had felt for Sonic out of the water. She held the back of his neck and kissed him deeper. Tails gladly returned the gesture. Up in the tree Sonic and Sally watched smiling.

"That looks familiar," Sonic said.

"What does that mean?" Sally asked looking at him.

"You had the same look on your face the first time I kissed you."

Sally blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Well then," she said a mischievous look in her eyes, "let's see if I can't get return the favor." The two couples sat by, and in, the tree the rest of the night holding their loved one in their arms.

The shining sun woke Sonic up rather rudely. His aching back certainly didn't help either. He would have to make himself a reminder to never sleep in trees. He looked down to see that Tails and Amy were gone. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he looked over at Sally. She was still curled up against his chest sleeping soundly. He had to smile at that. She looked so content that he didn't want to wake her up. She fidgeted and opened her eyes to look at him.

"Morning already?" she asked groggily.

Sonic nodded. "Yep," he answered. "Plus I think it should be safe around here for the two of us from now on."

Sally smiled and snuggled back into his chest. "Good," she said closing her eyes.

"Oh no you don't," Sonic said quickly sitting her up. "I'm sure it'd be fun explaining why we're sleeping in a tree together but I'm not ready for that. That and my back is killing me."

Sally gave a playful frown. "Aww," she said faking a pout. "Does someone want a back rub?"

Sonic held his hands up and waved them quickly. "No, no. I'm good," he said nervously.

Sally smiled and jumped from the branch. "Race you down!" she said gliding downward.

"That's playing dirty!" he yelled back. "Wait a sec, what am I talking about?" He closed his eyes and felt the wind pick up around him. He vanished and reappeared on the ground a moment before Sally touched down.

"Hey that's not fair," she said stomping.

"All's fair in love," he said kissing her nose and speeding off. She sighed and shook her head.

"What am I gonna do with you, Sonic Hedgehog?" she muttered and walked off towards her hut.

She walked back into her hut and took off her vest and boots. She grabbed a much needed shower and a quick change of clothes. After being chased by an insane hedgehog with a hammer and sleeping in a tree all night that was exactly what she had needed. She stepped outside and breathed in the morning air.

_Wait a minute,_ she thought suddenly. _Where did Tails and Amy go this morning? _Worry shot across her face and she ran toward Tails' hut. She looked in the window and was relieved to see that he was in bed by himself. Amy was nowhere to be seen which probably meant she was still asleep. She ran towards the hut she and Dulcy shared and peeked in the door. Amy was asleep in the bed with a smile across her face. Sally sighed and closed the door. She would talk to Amy after she woke up. She walked towards the dining hut and saw Bunnie and Antoine doing the same. They saw Sally and waved at her.

"Hey there Sally-girl," Bunnie said, hugging her friend. "You know, I never saw you two come back last night."

"We had to sleep in a tree," Sally explained. "Amy was chasing us and we were forced to take refuge on a branch."

"That is all fine," Antoine said smiling. "I would also be suggesting that if you intend to kiss someone that you close the door first, Princess." Sally was about to ask what he meant when she remembered. Her face turned a bright shade of pink and she stammered trying to explain.

"Don't worry about it none, girl," Bunnie giggled. "Sugarfox and I won't say a word."

Sally smiled her blush fading. "Thanks guys," she said. "Shall we get some breakfast?"


End file.
